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Frustrated Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff claimed his team “suffered” at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix. Wolff noted that the W14 suffered from both oversteer and cornering, showing a negative contrast to the previous two races.
Lewis Hamilton was unable to keep his car within the white lines at the Red Bull Circuit and received numerous five-second penalties for failing to abide by the prescribed regulations. The seven-time world champion, known for his precise driving, was heard talking about the dismal state of the W14 over the team radio throughout the race.
After receiving additional penalties after the race, Hamilton dropped from P7 to P8, along with seven other drivers including Carlos Sainz, who dropped from P4 to P6.
Speaking of the terrible conditions in Austria, the Italian winger’s Mercedes boss told Motorsport.com:
“We expected Montreal wouldn’t be perfect and instead did surprisingly well, while in Austria we thought high speed would save our poor performance at low speed, but that wasn’t the case.
“I think at high speed we were on par with some of the best, but the car was never quite in the right place. We struggled with all the conditions, from understeer to oversteer. It just didn’t go so well.”
Formula 1 expert claims Mercedes’ Hamilton will not be able to beat Max Verstappen at Red Bull
Meanwhile, Formula 1 expert Peter Windsor believes Lewis Hamilton will not be able to match Max Verstappen’s dominance even if he is at Red Bull. Windsor cited Verstappen’s “symbiotic” relationship with his team, in particular with Adrian Newey.
The Silver Arrows have been leading since the 2022 air regulations, leading Red Bull’s dramatic climb to the top, with Max Verstappen at the helm. However, many wondered if Lewis Hamilton, who has been in great shape until the end of 2021, would be able to do Verstappen’s best in the same car.
However, Formula One expert Peter Windsor has other ideas. Speaking about the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers, Windsor said on his YouTube channel:
“For them to be teammates, it would mean Lewis joining Red Bull. In that case, I think it would be Max. Because Max has this symbiotic relationship with Adrian and, to some extent, with Christian but more importantly, with Adrian.
“And Max knows Adrian’s mind very well. Louis will tune in to that and he’ll get in his race car and he’ll feel great.”
He completed:
“In terms of totality in a season, I think it would be almost impossible to beat the Max Verstappen-Adrian Newey partnership even if you were Lewis Hamilton.”
With Mercedes apparently struggling again, it will be interesting to see the team’s progress at Silverstone, as they prepare to make significant upgrades.
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