Toto Wolff, the boss of the Mercedes team, is devastated by his team’s disappointing performance at the Australian Grand Prix. The race was forgettable for the Silver Arrows, as they struggled throughout the high-speed track all weekend. Even the seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, was eliminated in Q2 and then retired on lap 15 due to a power unit failure.
To make matters worse, Hamilton’s teammate also had a major crash on the final lap while chasing a two-time world champion. The crash was caused by increased dirty air when Alonso started braking early in the corners. With both cars out of the race, Toto Wolff expressed his thoughts on Mercedes’ lack of performance and admitted he wanted to punch himself in the nose due to the disappointing season they are going through.
Wolff also mentioned that, based on simulations and tests, the team believed that the W15 car was an improvement over previous years. However, it seems that Mercedes has actually regressed with their car this year. Despite this setback, Wolff still believes that with hard work, they can turn around their shocking start to the season.
After the early retirement of a three-time world champion, Ferrari and McLaren emerged as the main contenders for victory, with [drivers’ names] securing a one-two finish. The McLarens of [drivers’ names] followed closely.
With Mercedes far from the victory battle, Toto Wolff acknowledged that his team has regressed compared to last year. He mentioned that their lap times are inconsistent and they have fallen behind in overall performance. Wolff expressed shock and uncertainty about the reasons behind this regression, as Mercedes believed the W15 was a promising car to build on. It seems that the Silver Arrows are currently at a disadvantage in all aspects related to their car.