Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted the team’s “mediocre” Abu Dhabi Grand Prix epitomised the struggles it endured during Formula 1‘s recent ground effect era.
The German marque secured second place in the Constructors’ Championship behind a dominant McLaren, despite a lacklustre race outing at the Yas Marina Circuit.
George Russell had been tipped to threaten Lando Norris’ bid to seal the title, but the Briton dropped to a distant fifth, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli came home in 15th.
Russell, who crossed the line over 20 seconds behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, even with one less pitstop, labelled his last competitive run with the W16 as “dreadful”.
Wolff concurred with his driver’s downbeat assessment to the extent that he contended that the result will loom over the team throughout the upcoming winter break.
“First of all, congratulations to McLaren, Lando, Zak [Brown] and Andrea [Stella] and the whole team,” Wolff began to media including Motorsport Week.
“Yeah, they are deserving World Champions. They have done an outstanding job last year. They have done a very good job this year.
“Even if it got close [with Red Bull and Max Verstappen], I am happy for the team. Obviously, having a Mercedes engine there is nice.
“Fundamentally, the prevailing feeling that I have today is that we finished second in the championship. That is respectable.
“But finishing off with a really mediocre race is just hanging over us.”
Mercedes relieved to welcome regulation changes
Mercedes entered the new rules cycle in 2022 as the team to beat based on the unparalleled eight successive Constructors’ titles it had won between 2014 and 2021.
However, the Brackley-based squad was unable to prolong that success as rivals Red Bull and McLaren sustained periods as the benchmark side in the sport instead.
And while there was the occasional high point, Wolff pinpointed that the final round with the current cars encapsulated the tribulations that his team has encountered.
“The team is working well. Yeah, it shows that these cars are still not very clear to us,” he acknowledged.
“We have come off the back of some really good weekends. Qatar wasn’t too bad.
“You could see a similar problem on the front [tyres]. Today, we just couldn’t turn the car in [Turn] 9 and in [Turn] 1 because the front right was suffering so much.
“That is why, personally, and I think as a team, collectively, we are happy that this ground effect era ends. We are embarking on something new.”
READ MORE – Toto Wolff clarifies Mercedes F1 future after selling shares
Discussion about this post