Mercedes has started its 2023 with so many problems that they will change the whole car after the Bahrain Grand Prix. Neither lewis hamilton neither George Russell they were able to fight for the podium at the weekend, placing fifth and seventh.
And these issues coincide with the negotiation for the Hamilton contract. Although no one in the silver arrows fears a fright. At least not Toto Wolffmaximum institution in the team.
At the end of Bahrain, Wolff was “calm” about it. “Lewis’ situation is what you’ve heard on the radio. He’s an integral part of the team, lifting everyone up, and we stick together, I don’t think that’s going to change.”
“We have won eight constructors’ championships and six of pilots with him, and that relationship is maintained. It would be too easy to lose a driver and throw in the towel. We’re not going to do that, on the contrary, we just have to go deeper and deeper than we ever have, and provide both drivers with a car they can fight with.”
Wolff does not hide and recognizes that the head gap is “too big” at this start of the season: “I am not exaggerating or underestimating. In fact, the gap is very big, and to catch up you have to take big steps, not the conventional ones of adding a few points every week…”.
“To have a steeper development curve, you have to make these decisions. Aston Martin He took it and they came back strong, and if we start from our base, maybe we can come back strong and chase the Red Bulls, that’s the ambition.”
Hamilton already suffered in 2022 the poor planning of Mercedes, unable to ‘cough’ the Red Bull of max verstappen, double world champion. Another year of the same has set off the alarms about the renewal of Hamilton, but in Mercedes, for now, they are calm.
