Toto Wolff finds himself grappling with frustration following the Australian Grand Prix as his Mercedes Formula 1 team grappled with a “very brutal” double retirement in the 2024 race.
Lewis Hamilton’s race came to an abrupt halt due to a power unit failure, the root cause of which remains undetermined. Hamilton’s unfortunate exit occurred on lap 15, in a race eventually clinched by Carlos Sainz, following Max Verstappen’s withdrawal due to an early brake fire.
In another setback, George Russell’s race was cut short just two laps from the finish line. Russell attributed his misfortune to an unsettling influence from Fernando Alonso’s car directly ahead of him.
Eventually, Alonso incurred a 20-second penalty for altering his driving style, which contributed to Russell’s struggle in his turbulent wake.
These setbacks compounded earlier challenges faced by Hamilton, who grappled with handling instability after both he and Russell ventured off track during practice sessions.
Hamilton’s difficulties persisted into qualifying, where he failed to advance beyond Q2. Consequently, the duo found themselves starting the race from seventh and 11th positions on the grid, respectively.
Reflecting on Mercedes’ performance in Melbourne, Wolff expressed his disappointment, stating, “There were times in the race where we massively lacked pace. And then there were times at the end when you compare like for like, we were doing OK. Still not where we want to be.”
Such struggles led Wolff to lament that he felt compelled to metaphorically “punch himself on the nose” in frustration.
“But you could see in the second stint, Fernando on the medium [tire], we couldn’t come anywhere close. The lap times looked like a second off the McLaren’s.
“Then suddenly the last [stint], when we went for it, not worrying too much, the lap times were competitive. Not [a match for] Sainz. But it was much better.”
Wolff also pointed out the contrast in performance for Mercedes compared to the previous year’s Australian Grand Prix, where the team held the top two positions.
However, in the current season, Mercedes found themselves trailing behind McLaren and Ferrari, teams that had struggled in the early part of the 2023 season.
Continuing his remarks, Wolff emphasized, “So clearly, we started the season with the belief that this car is better than it was last year.
“Then you look at last year and look at these guys – Leclerc crashed out and Sainz was fourth and got relegated to the outside of the top 10 because of a penalty. [Now], they are 40s ahead of us.
“So, obviously on one side, I want to punch myself on the nose. But on the other side, it is also a testimony of that when you get things right, you can turn it around pretty quickly and you just got to continue to believe.
“But at the moment it is very, a very tough time.”
Reflecting on the weekend, Wolff acknowledged the challenges ahead, stating, “Tough to take. Super tough. I would be lying if I would say at any moment, I feel positive about the situation and optimistic.
“But you just need to overcome the negative thoughts and say we will turn this around. But today it feels very, very, very brutal.”
