Mercedes continued its difficult start to the new season as George Russell finished fifth at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, while teammate Lewis Hamilton recovered from his first Q1 knockout in over four years to score a point for P10.
After crossing the line for 10th, Hamilton asked Mercedes engineer Pete Bonnington if there was “even a point for that position”.
The seven-time world champion said after the race Mercedes was “still far off” Red Bull and Ferrari, who locked out the top four positions in both qualifying and the race.
Mercedes F1 chief Wolff admitted after the race that while the lead fight between Red Bull and Ferrari was good news for F1 as a whole, to not be part of it after winning eight consecutive constructors’ titles was difficult for the team.
“We were right in the middle of those fun games in the front, and talking as an F1 stakeholder and benefiting from a great show, that is really spectacular to look at,” Wolff said.
“But on the other side, it is extremely painful to be not part of those fun games, and by quite a chunk of laptime deficit.
“We’re not going to rest until we are back in the mix. But you’re absolutely right: it’s no fun at all. [It’s] an exercise in humility, and it’s going to make us stronger in the end, even though it’s not funny right now.”
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes AMG
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Mercedes already sits 40 points behind Ferrari at the top of the constructors’ championship and is just one point clear of Red Bull, who failed to score any points in the Bahrain season-opener.
The root of Mercedes’ struggles is the extreme porpoising it faces with the W13 car, which emerged during pre-season testing and is yet to have been fully understood or remedied.
Russell said after the race that the porpoising was responsible for “99% of our issues”, and the team had been making “baby steps” to fix the problem.
Wolff was reluctant to estimate how Mercedes would compare to Red Bull and Ferrari once it had sorted the problem given the team was yet to fully see what the W13 was capable of.
“We’re not running the car where we wanted to run it,” Wolff said. “Therefore it’s very difficult to really assess what the lap time deficit is if we were able to run the car lower.
“I would very much hope that the gap is much closer to what we’ve seen today. But there are deficits everywhere.”
F1 2022 races would be “very boring” without DRS, says Leclerc.
Gasly “screaming in pain” in final laps of Saudi Arabian GP
Is Verstappen v Leclerc F1’s new big rivalry?
Why Haas can dare to dream of a first F1 podium in 2022
How F1’s political battles raged on through the winter
Is Verstappen v Leclerc F1’s new big rivalry?
FIA created ‘unnecessary mess’ with late F1 call, says Sainz
Ten things we learned from the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Domenicali: F1 not “blind” to concerns over Saudi GP future
2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
F1’s second visit to Jeddah’s high-speed street track produced a spectacular battle between Red Bull and Ferrari at the sharp end, this time with a different result to the Bahrain season-opener. But on a weekend that was thrown into doubt amid off-track distractions, several drivers in cars without race-winning pedigree produced equally valiant performances
How Verstappen learned to combat Leclerc tactics in Saudi thriller
For the second Formula 1 race in a row, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen contested a thrilling battle for victory that involved multiple passes through DRS detection zones. But, unlike in Bahrain, it was Verstappen who won out in Jeddah to get Red Bull’s title challenge back on track
Why Ferrari might rue costly Jeddah errors as the leaders get closer
With the Formula 1 weekend in Saudi Arabia now going ahead as planned, there’s the small matter of a race to prepare for. After winning in Bahrain, Ferrari is looking to continue its battle with Red Bull over the victory spoils. But, after both drivers crashed in FP2, the Scuderia has made life difficult for itself in Jeddah.
The complex black art that remains critical for F1’s new era
Formula 1’s 2022 rules centre around the move towards ground effect cars, but the tyres had to advance along with the cars for the new regulations to have actually worked. Despite concerns the early signs are positive.
What the Bahrain GP battles taught F1 about the impact of its new era
OPINION: Formula 1’s long-awaited new car formula made its race debut in last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix. There were good signs it may achieve its key aims, but those came alongside issues causing for alarm for some of the championship’s big players.
Why Haas is back to where it should be in F1’s pecking order
Ferrari’s celebrations for its 1-2 at the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix were arguably matched both in and out of the paddock by Kevin Magnussen finishing fifth for Haas. After years of toil and trouble, the Haas recovery plan has yielded instant rewards in 2022 and ensures the US team returns to the midfield fight.
Why Mercedes was right to temper expectations and how it might recover
Mercedes is no stranger to tempering expectations ahead of a Formula 1 season, only to kick off the season in dominant fashion. But the team’s 2022 car has legitimate concerns, leaving the Silver Arrows to pursue “damage limitation” at Bahrain. Here’s why Mercedes was right to play its W13 down, and how it might find a return to form.
2022 Bahrain Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The opening round of the 2022 Formula 1 season means the first Driver Ratings of the year. The Bahrain Grand Prix provided the opportunity for a handful of star drivers to shine, even if some were denied the results their performances deserved, while others failed to make it count when it mattered most