The 2024 season went from bad to worse for Mercedes during the Australian Grand Prix. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had to retire from the race, owing to two extremely different reasons. Given the team’s recent lackluster performances, F1 analyst Jeppe Olsen fears it might not be a good sign for Mercedes’ partnerships. Olsen worries that a new series of problems might soon be heading Mercedes’ way, adding financial woes to their list of issues.
A mechanical issue snowballed to an engine failure for Hamilton, forcing him to pull out of the race. The Briton couldn’t even drive his car back to the Mercedes garage. Meanwhile, Russell, too, failed to see the checkered flag, crashing on the penultimate lap at Albert Park.
Mercedes now finds itself in a tense atmosphere. The Silver Arrows could soon lose out on partners owing to a loss of certain marketable assets. Hamilton’s imminent departure is one such element, and his move to Ferrari could see the Brackley-based team’s partners move away. There are also chances of certain partners moving down to lower tiers, leading to smaller investments from them.
The move represents the cyclic nature of any sport. Investment comes with success, and a lack of positive results will inevitably lead to investors pulling their money out. As Mercedes looks to return to their days of championship contention, a potential lack of investment could lead to them failing in achieving their goals. Hence, the team needs to rethink its strategy and improve performance while it still can.
Toto Wolff reflects on Mercedes’ W15
With Mercedes leaving Australia empty-handed, Toto Wolff reflected on his team’s struggles. Last Word on Sports quoted Wolff as he detailed the concerns within the Brackley camp. A consistent slowing down of the car over a weekend continues to be Mercedes’ biggest concern. They start FP1 by being nearly on pace with the top performers. However, by the time FP3 or Qualifying begins, the team falls further behind their rivals. The same happened in Australia, where Hamilton failed to make it past Q2 while Russell barely made it through.
Wolff also addressed concerns about Mercedes regressing while others progress. Last year, McLaren was the worst performer in Australia, but this year, they finished P3 and P4. Meanwhile, Mercedes failed to witness either of their cars see the chequered flag. The performance comes under further scrutiny since Hamilton finished last year’s Australian GP in P2. Mercedes did not have the best of cars last year either, but they still managed a respectable result. Russell, too, was in contention for the race lead but had to retire after an engine fire.
