Mercedes is preparing to dump its 2023 car – the humiliating concession coming Saturday night in Bahrain on the eve of the inaugural Grand Prix.
Team boss Toto Wolff broke the amazing news after the Silver Arrows qualified six-tenths of a second behind polesitter Max Verstappen in a machine – the W14 – which he admitted is not capable of taking Lewis Hamilton to an eighth world title.
“I don’t think this package will end up being competitive,” he said.
The about-face came 24 hours after Hamilton questioned the point of continuing with the flawed design. That was before he qualified seventh, one spot behind teammate George Russell.
It seems likely that the bottom of the car and associated “zero” sidepod will be discarded. None of their competitors have taken a similar approach, and it’s clear why not. The stopwatch provides the clearly devastating answer.
Toto Wolff says Mercedes will announce they will be sorting out their car design for 2023
The news is tough for Lewis Hamilton, who is looking to make history with his eighth title
So the team that has dominated the last decade of Formula 1 has a long, hard road ahead. Her halo slipped last season when new regulations were introduced. Red Bull steals a march while the Mercedes ineffectively hopped on as only third best on the grid.
On Saturday they were fourth fastest behind Red Bull – alone with a front row lockout achieved with the second fastest time of Sergio Perez – Ferrari and Aston Martin.
Embarrassingly, they supply Aston engines and share the same wind tunnel. The rear of both cars is also the same. So that points to the floor-sidepod combination as the main concern.
Experimenting with a new concept will take time, likely months, and will involve going one step back to take two forwards.
Wolff spoke of having the right infrastructure to put things right. This is a moot point. Are they still a super team? James Allison is lost as technical director. Andy Cowell is gone as an engine guru. Eddie Bladin has retired as chief aerodynamicist.
The news comes just 24 hours after the British driver questioned the car’s design
Blandin is now with Aston Martin where, significantly, he seems to have made little argument for using the Mercedes concept there.
It should also be decisive that the determined, sober Niki Lauda died in 2019. His directness was crucial in countering Wolff’s more methodical and cautious approach.
In the Mercedes Paddock Chalet, Wolff said calmly: “We really worked hard over the winter, and now we all just have to sit down with the engineers, be completely undogmatic, ask in which direction we want to go in order to race to be able to win.
“In this team, we blame the problem, not the person. i have responsibility I have to fire myself if I’m going to do anything about it.
“We have all the ingredients to be successful. We got it wrong last year. We thought we could fix it by sticking with the concept of the car, but it didn’t work. So we just have to keep our focus on what we think is the right direction.
The news comes on the eve of the start of the new F1 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix
His rival Max Verstappen (pictured) had said he didn’t think the car was “competitive”.
“We can see on the GPS where we’re lacking in performance and where we’re good.
“Last year we started with six tenths and this year with six tenths.
‘Every day counts. We’re losing these days. It will be difficult to catch up, so we need to make the right decisions now to set sail in the right direction.”
Bahrain GP grid
1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
2.Sergio Peresz-Red Bull
3. Charles Leclerc-Ferrari
4. Carlos Sainz Jr – Ferrari
5. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
6. George Russell-Mercedes
7. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
8. Lance Walk – Aston Martin
9. Esteban Ocon – Alpine
10. Nico Hulkenburg-Haas
This is all discouraging for Hamilton. At 38, his quest for an eighth world title is running out of steam.
It is very unlikely to materialize this year when his £40million-a-season contract expires, although he says he wants to sign an extension for the race.
Wolff promised to help his star man achieve his dream.
“Even if I have to drag him around the track to get eighth place, I’ll do whatever it takes,” he continued.
When asked what happens in the 23 races leading up to the finale in Abu Dhabi on November 26, Wolff said: “You know, motorsport is crazy. I don’t know what will happen this year.
“Maybe next week we’ll find a silver bullet and win five tenths. I’ve never seen silver bullets. But you never know
“In any case, we need a car in the medium and long term with which we can fight for our eighth world title.
“We are racers. We never give up fighting to be at the top in every single session.”
That accolade came to Verstappen on Saturday when he clinched his 21st career pole, cementing his position as a huge favorite to win Sunday’s race under lights at Sakhir early in his bid for a third straight title.
The Silver Arrows were six tenths of a second behind pole sitter Max Verstappen
Hamilton starts the Sunday Grand Prix in seventh place, with George Russell starting sixth
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third fastest, three tenths back. His teammate Carlos Sainz qualified fourth. Fernando Alonso was fifth best for Aston Martin.
Lance Stroll, in the other Aston, just escaped Q2 on his final run, dooming McLaren’s Lando Norris to qualify 11th. McLaren’s second driver, rookie Oscar Piastri, finished 18th, a learning curve ahead of him.
Stroll finished eighth. Not a bad performance after he had to have wrist surgery after a bike accident a few weeks ago.
The Canadian wore a band-aid and brace on his left hand where the procedure was performed, while the other wrist hurt, as did the big toe of his right foot.