The start of the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP didn’t go as planned for Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell couldn’t find an optimal start to their P2 defense. Hamilton failed to clear Q2, finishing P11, whereas Russell qualified in P4. Now, team principal Toto Wolff has shared his frustration with the continuous explanation of the W14’s race pace.
Speaking about this, Wolff said as per Sky Sports, “It just didn’t come together. Probably that’s what was in the car. Expectations were higher. I’m fed up with having explanations on why it didn’t go well. We were good in the hot, we weren’t in the cold. Previous days it has been the other way around.”
With this, the Austrian boss further added, “I’m happy this was the last qualifying of the season and we will come with a new car.” Admittedly, the 2023 F1 season hasn’t been an ideal one for Wolff and Co. From having reliability issues to handling, the Silver Arrows struggled to get going throughout the year.
Even though the Silver Arrows are still in P2 in the Constructors’ championship, they haven’t experienced smooth sailing at any point. The Brackley-based team is much slower than McLaren at the moment, and doesn’t have the momentum brought over the Abu Dhabi by Ferrari.
There were hopes in the Mercedes camp after the summer break, as they showed signs of improvement in Austin [Hamilton P2, Russell P5, keeping aside the disqualification]. However, things went downhill very fast in the Sao Paulo GP in Brazil.
Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Toto Wolff look forward to 2024 already
As Mercedes did not have a season to remember in 2023, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Toto Wolff are already thinking about focusing on their 2024 F1 challenger. Among them, Hamilton seems to be more dejected about the current car as he wants to be done with the W14 as soon as possible.
Nevertheless, the Silver Arrows can still look to finish on a high and grab the extra $10 million as a prize after they secure the P2 in the Constructors’ championship from Ferrari. The German giants stand just four points ahead compared to their Italian rivals.
However, things look to be a bit difficult as Charles Leclerc starts from P2, whereas George Russell starts from P4. On the brighter side, Carlos Sainz’s P16, compared to Lewis Hamilton’s P11 further gives Toto Wolff and Mercedes an extra impetus.
