Nightmare weekend in Brazil shows why Mercedes are changing design – Toto Wolff

By Sports Desk November 06, 2023

Toto Wolff said Mercedes’ worst performance on his watch as team principal shows they are right to make wholesale design changes for next season.

Lewis Hamilton finished eighth at Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix – more than a minute behind race winner Max Verstappen – while George Russell retired with an engine failure while running in 11th.

Far from being any closer to Verstappen’s all-conquering Red Bull, Mercedes were slower than McLaren, Aston Martin, Ferrari and the mid-table Alpine team in Sao Paulo, with Pierre Gasly embarrassing the former world champions when he batted Hamilton and Russell aside.

“It is totally baffling and unacceptable,” said a beleaguered Wolff.

“We are a proper structure, a solid team but that didn’t look like a solid team today. For me personally, it was the worst weekend in 13 years (in Formula One).

“The development of that car has been about putting plasters on something that was not right and it shows that it is so unpredictable that it can swing either side.

“Fundamentally, we will have a different car next year and today proves that is the right thing to do.

“It feels horrible for the whole team. And I wish we could start the new season concentrating on the new car.”

Performances at the previous two rounds had afforded Hamilton and Mercedes hope that they were closing the gap to Red Bull.

Armed with a new floor in Austin two weeks ago, Hamilton finished second before he was disqualified after his Mercedes failed a post-race scrutineering check. He was runner-up again in Mexico seven days later, this time with a legal car, 14 sec adrift of Verstappen.

But the Silver Arrows were dealt a grizzly reality check at Interlagos – a venue where they expected to perform well after Russell claimed Mercedes’ sole victory there last season.

Wolff continued: “It’s baffling. From having a really quick and balanced car and drivers really happy, to a nightmare. How is that possible?

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we analyse the cars in the next few days and we find out that there is a mechanical issue in the way we set them up.”

Russell was forced to park his machine with 12 laps remaining but the Englishman hopes Mercedes’ abysmal performance was track specific – with rounds to follow in Las Vegas in a fortnight before the concluding race in Abu Dhabi on November 26.

“It was a mind-boggling weekend to understand,” said Russell. “We had high expectations heading into this weekend and we had absolutely no pace at all.

“There are so many question marks. It is the same car that we have had for the last five races which has been capable of podiums.

“This is clearly a substantial one-off event, but we need to understand what we got wrong because right now, we don’t really know.”

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    "Of course, the championship is in the back of my mind, naturally," he says. "But I will always try to get the best result out of it first and then see what’s possible.

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    DRIVERS TO WATCH

    Max Verstappen – Red Bull

    Verstappen has the chance to become only the third driver in the competition’s history to break the 3,000-point barrier (2,979.50 currently), something only Hamilton (4829.50) and Vettel (3098) have achieved.

    The Dutchman has scored 72.24% of Red Bull's points in 2024, the widest gap to the second driver of any team this season in Formula One (44.49 – 27.76% for Sergio Perez). On the other hand, Mercedes is the team with the smallest percentage difference between its drivers in terms of total points (0.52 - George Russell's 50.26 and Hamilton's 49.74).

    But, if either Verstappen or Perez achieve the fastest lap at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Red Bull (99) will become the fifth team in Formula One history to achieve 100 fastest laps after Ferrari (263), McLaren (170), Williams (133) and Mercedes (109).

    Oscar Piastri – McLaren

    Piastri has scored points in 23 consecutive F1 grand prix. It is the seventh-best historical run in the competition (also 23 for Fernando Alonso between Europe 2011 and Hungary 2012) and the best of any McLaren driver.

    The Australian is the only driver on the grid to have finished 100% of races in 2024. Not only is this the longest current run, but if he finishes in Las Vegas, it will be the 11th longest streak in Formula One history, equalling Perez's record between France 2022 and Singapore 2023 (26).

    However, Piastri will be aiming to return to the podium places having gone three races without a top-three finish since ending the Singapore Grand Prix in third. It is his worst streak since the first seven races of the season.

    CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

    Drivers

    1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 393
    2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 331
    3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 307
    4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 262
    5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 244

    Constructors

    1. McLaren – 593
    2. Ferrari – 557
    3. Red Bull – 544
    4. Mercedes – 382
    5. Aston Martin – 86

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