Mercedes are at risk of losing P2 to Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship despite having a comfortable lead at one point. As the Silver Arrows’ lead over the Prancing Horse has decreased to just four points, Sky Sports F1 presenter Danica Patrick, as per F1Maximaal, has explained how she believes that Toto Wolff seems defeated at the moment.
Patrick also explained how despite making progress throughout the year, Mercedes haven’t been able to get the results. She said, “They have improved so much throughout the year, but they haven’t been able to show anything yet. Toto looks defeated. He is frustrated, maybe even tired“.
The Las Vegas GP was yet another example where Mercedes had a difficult race weekend. George Russell finished only eighth after he dropped four places from fourth due to a five-second penalty he received after colliding with Max Verstappen.
Meanwhile, things weren’t any better for Lewis Hamilton. The 38-year-old showcased good pace after starting from P10. However, a collision with Oscar Piastri led to a puncture and Hamilton saw his race fall away in front of him. He finally managed to finish P7.
Mercedes might lose P2 in the standings at Abu Dhabi
Mercedes only managed to score 10 points at Las Vegas, while Ferrari scored a massive 26 points with Charles Leclerc finishing P2 and Carlos Sainz finishing P6. This means that the Maranello outfit is now only four points behind Mercedes in the championship standings, with the last race weekend left in Abu Dhabi.
Given their current form, it can be expected that Ferrari will be able to overtake Mercedes and claim P2 behind Red Bull in the season finale. Moreover, the Italian outfit were also the only team who were able to beat the mighty Red Bull this season with a win in Singapore.
As for Mercedes, they had started the season on the wrong foot after trying out their zero-side pod design. However, they did change the concept in the middle of the season and showed signs of improvement.
But the improved performance did not last long and Mercedes started to falter once again. Hence, at this moment they would just want to get over with the season and start over fresh for 2024.
