Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stressed the importance of F1 returning to Australia after a two-season hiatus from the sport. Australian fans have been denied F1 action on their soil in Melbourne on account of the COVID-19 pandemic with the 2020 edition being canceled hours before FP1.
Wolff discussed the return of F1 to the revamped Albert Park Circuit during an interview where he said:
“It’s really important to Formula 1 because F1 has a great fanbase there and it has always been part of the circus. So, coming back there is something that everybody is always looking forward to. Less so me at the moment but if I take my Mercedes hat off, it is a great place and we love to be in Australia.”
The Silver Arrows will arrive for the 2022 Australian GP having been behind on pace in comparison to Ferrari and Red Bull over the first two races. Lewis Hamilton had admitted the car is lacking grip and pace after his P10 finish in Saudi Arabia.
Toto Wolff admits ‘there are deficits everywhere’ in the Mercedes W13 in 2022
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitted his team has found it difficult to assess the problem with the W13 they are running in 2022. The Silver Arrows did end up in P3 and P4 after Red Bull’s late implosion in Sakhir. They could only manage P5 and P10, for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, respectively.
Speaking to the media about the reasons behind the lack of competitiveness in their car, the Austrian said:
“I think we are not running the car where we wanted to run it. Therefore, it is 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 have seen but there is deficits everywhere.”
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The next race on the F1 calendar could prove to be a litmus test for Lewis Hamilton and the Silver Arrows. The 2022 F1 Australian GP weekend starts on April 8 and runs through until April 10.
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