If Bahrain Grand Prix is remembered for seeing Red Bull pick up 1-2 in the opening race of the season, it’s more likely to be remembered for the valiant warrior Fernando Alonso. The man who went from P7 at the very start to finish the race in podium places has given the fans a moment to remember.
However, not everyone wants to remember the tough Sakhir outing, and one such man is Toto Wolff. Wolff, who just stood there and witnessed the fall of W14 against the mighty AMR23, thinks the Brackley car didn’t have any mechanical problem to blame for the poor show. Had that been the case, the Silverstone-based team would’ve also felt the heat.
Not where we want to be, but we promise we’ll fight our way forward. pic.twitter.com/2AVN5DPfu7
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 5, 2023
Talking about this, Wolff shared in a report published by Soy Motor, “We know that we do not have a mechanical problem, otherwise Aston Martin would also suffer.” Admittedly, neither the Aston Martins nor Mercedes uses the same engine and fell prey to any reliability issues during the race.
ALSO READ: ‘We Can Throw Our Car in the Trash Can’: Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff Concedes Defeat After Bahrain GP
Toto Wolff knows Mercedes’ weakness
Interestingly, the Austrian executive knows the weakness the Silver Arrows has. In the report, he opened up on the sector Lewis Hamilton and Co. needs to work to become competitive, at least before taking the fight to Red Bull.
Sensational moves. 😮💨
Down the inside at Turn 10. You couldn't write it any better.#BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/J5UF2cInZt
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 6, 2023
Wolff said, “The point is that we are doing well on the straights, but we lose a lot in the fast corners.” [Translated from Spanish using Google]. This was evident during the race when Alonso caught Hamilton napping at a corner and dived down the inside to overtake him.
Toto Wolff lauds Aston Martin’s effort
Despite losing out to Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll regarding overall speed, the Mercedes boss lauded Aston Martin. The team that finished its 2022 season in P7 managed to raise eyebrows as they locked horns with Red Bull in Free Practices, Ferrari in Qualifying, and in the end, managed to beat Mercedes in the race.
ALSO READ: Toto Wolff Fires Ultimatum at Mike Elliott as James Allison Returns to Improve the W14
Praising the Silverstone-based team, he said, “We can only take our hats off to what they did, they gained two seconds in six months and their car is half ours.”
So much was the improvement that Alonso made sure he gained the places back that he lost when the lights went out and took two more places to snatch the podium in the half Mercedes.
As for Aston Martin as a whole, they went from P12 and P17 in Bahrain 2022, P8 and P10 in Abu Dhabi 2022, to P3 and P6 in Bahrain 2023. Astonishing achievement when it comes to F1 development.
