Mercedes were expected to be competitive during the Belgian GP weekend after a string of strong performances in France and Hungary. However, the Silver Arrows struggled badly with their new upgrade package. They found themselves quite off the pace compared to Red Bull, as Hamilton was 1.8 seconds behinds behind Max Verstappen\’s quickest lap time in qualifying. The grid penalties for the other racers allowed Hamilton to start fourth on the grid. The Briton managed to get ahead of Sergio Perez along with Fernando Alonso early in the opening stages. However, he and Alonso made contact during the opening lap. And Hamilton was forced to retire, taking no points home.
Meanwhile, Mercedes\’ George Russell showed some good race pace on Sunday. However, the German outfit is still far behind Red Bull, with Russell finishing 30 seconds behind Max at P4. The Briton had a chance to secure a podium. However, a mistake from Russell during the last few laps allowed Sainz to keep his position until the end of the race. The Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was quite unhappy with Mercedes\’ lack of pace during the whole racing weekend. He reckoned that the massive pace difference crushed his team\’s expectations after the performance they had shown three weeks ago at the Belgian GP.
The Silver Arrows have gone 15 races since their last win at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP. It is their worst winless record since the 2012-13 season. Wolff suggested that his team needs to accept the reality and start focusing on the next season\’s car. The Mercedes team principal did not think the fans would have been impressed by Max Verstappen being in his own league. He added, \”We need to really find out how we can improve our cars-the gap is just too big.\”
Toto Wolff & Mercedes Are Not Ready To Give Up Yet
Toto Wolff also discussed Hamilton\’s comments about the car being difficult to drive earlier in the weekend. The former Austrian driver suggested that his team needed to accept the reality and work on becoming better. It is apparent that the W13 was difficult to drive and lacked pace on a single lap.
Mercedes is planning on working harder, setting sights on the next few races and the upcoming season. Wolff hoped that his team would not be too much between depression and mania on a track that suited the W13 more and Mercedes would be more competitive. Further, Toto shared that the Silver Arrows had all the reason to be depressed on Sunday. However, Mercedes would not give up because three weeks ago in Hungary, it seemed like they would absolutely win during the remaining races.