Mercedes mood low: "This car doesn't deserve to win"
George Russell vented his frustration over the radio during the race. However, the absolute low point for the German Formula 1 works team Mercedes, once so spoiled by success, was still to come.
"A race to forget," said Lewis Hamilton about the São Paulo Grand Prix. Team boss Toto Wolff's verdict on Sunday evening in Brazil was devastating: "This car doesn't deserve to win." Two more races and then he would hopefully never have to drive "this thing" again, said Hamilton.
A year ago, Mercedes achieved its only victory of the 2022 season in Brazil, with Russell also winning the sprint race. And after the recent performances in Austin and Mexico City, the Silver Arrows team had been hopeful of being back at the front in Interlagos. However, Russell's name was followed by DNF, meaning that he did not finish. Hamilton was eighth in the second half of the Grand Prix.
"Horror show"
"Horror show", wrote the British tabloid "The Sun" in big letters on Monday. "Lewis Hamilton and Russell experience a nightmare at the Brazilian Grand Prix as (Max) Verstappen's win wipes the smile off Mercedes' faces."
Wolff was unapologetic about his inexcusable performance. He was at a loss for words. However, the 51-year-old Austrian, known for his clear statements, quickly found them again: "The car felt like it was on three wheels, not four." What they had made of Hamilton's second place in Mexico a week earlier "was terrible", Wolff said on Sky before leaving.
Instead of the initial anticipation of the upcoming spectacle in Las Vegas on the plane back to Europe, the hours above the clouds were probably dominated by the crash landing at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. A reappraisal is needed to save what can still be saved. The spectacular comeback in Las Vegas is less than two weeks away, followed by the finale in Abu Dhabi.
Long Hamilton drought
Second place for Hamilton in the championship standings is hardly possible with a 32-point deficit to Sergio Pérez. The 103-time Grand Prix winner has now been waiting almost two years for his next victory. And in the constructors' championship, Mercedes is only 20 points ahead of Ferrari in second place. It is the classification that decides a lot of money and that Mercedes won eight times in a row in its heyday from 2014 onwards. Those days are over. Red Bull is the new Mercedes and is winning everything.
It doesn't help that the Silver Arrows' internal relationship between the two drivers sometimes seems vulnerable. As Russell waited in vain for the team to pilot him past Hamilton, who he felt was only holding him up, the 25-year-old hissed over the radio to the command post: "Are we working together here or is everyone driving their own race?" The answer: "We're still discussing it."
For Russell, the discussions came to an end when his engine unit became too hot and he had to park the car in the garage. "I'm sorry for them that they had to drive such a difficult car," said Wolff: "The car is on a knife-edge all the time and we have to make sure that we get this problem under control in the development of next year's car." Frustration and low spirits should not become a habit.
Source: www.dpa.com
