Mercedes is struggling with pace in the 2022 season with team boss Toto Wolff calling it a ‘lesson in humility.’
Mercedes has won eight consecutive championship titles but it seems like the Brackley-based team will lose its winning streak this season. Former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve thinks that Mercedes has fallen from its pedestal.
In the two races of the new season, Mercedes struggled more in Saudi Arabia than in Bahrain. The team secured a surprising podium with Lewis Hamilton at P3 as the Red Bulls had to retire from the race in Bahrain. Hamilton’s teammate George Russell secured P4.
In Jeddah, while Russell managed to secure P5, Hamilton could only gather enough pace for P10 after qualifying P16.
Villeneuve said, “We can say that competing for the prizes is no longer an option for Mercedes. He pointed out that while Russell seems to be doing quite well with the W13, Hamilton is failing through the cracks.
The Canadian driver explained that the seven-time world champion has always had a perfect car and he never really had to push to get everything out of it.
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Mercedes is out of the championship battle
The budget cap also makes it harder for the Brackley-based team. The cap makes it even more difficult to change the course of the battle and therefore the championship is very far away.
Villeneuve wonders how the sponsors and the bosses will react to Mercedes’ situation. He said, “By the time they are competitive again, Leclerc and Verstappen will be much too far away.”
However, going ahead, Mercedes is suspected to introduce a new rear wing in Australia. If the rear wing can help solve the team’s problem, Hamilton and Russell compete against Ferrari and Red Bull.
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