Sports Formula 1
“I want to hit myself in the nose” – There is pure desperation at Mercedes
Status: 25.03.2024 | Reading time: 2 minutes
Sainz wins ahead of Leclerc – world champion Verstappen is eliminated
The “Scuderia” triumphs at the third race weekend of the Formula 1 season: Carlos Sainz wins the Australian Grand Prix ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. World champion Max Verstappen in Red Bull suffers his first setback this year.
Mercedes dominated Formula 1 for years. The successful racing team is now only a shadow of its former self, and the start of the new season is a disaster. It feels “very brutal,” admits the team boss.
Mercedes has been deeply affected by its Formula 1 debacle in Australia. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton retired early for the former industry leader after an engine failure in the third race of the season, while teammate George Russell was unable to finish the Grand Prix due to an accident shortly before the end.
“I would be lying if I said I was always positive and optimistic about the situation. But you just have to overcome the negative thoughts and tell yourself that we will turn it around,” said team boss Toto Wolff after the frustrating weekend in Melbourne. However, it feels “very brutal”.
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Since the aerodynamics innovation for the 2022 season, Mercedes has only been able to win one Grand Prix. Before this year, the racing team hoped to finally have the car’s moodiness under control. Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren are currently ahead of the Silver Arrows in the constructors’ championship.
“The worst start to the season I’ve ever experienced,” says Hamilton
Last year, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had huge problems in Australia. This time they came second and first for Ferrari in Melbourne. “On the one hand, I want to punch myself in the nose. But on the other hand, it is also proof that if you do things right, you can turn things around quickly,” said Wolff after the first double failure at Mercedes since Austria in 2018. “You just have to keep believing.”
Lewis Hamilton is served
Quelle: Future Publishing via Getty Images/Future Publishing
Hamilton, who will replace Sainz as Ferrari driver in 2025, is currently at a low point. “This is the worst start to the season I have ever experienced,” said the 39-year-old. Hamilton started the new year with just eight points from three races. Still: “Surprisingly, I feel pretty good. I try to keep things in perspective. It could be so much worse,” he said.