Mercedes scored a podium finish in the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona with George Russell, but impressed above all with the pace of Lewis Hamilton, who recovered from 19th position after the contact caused by Kevin Magnussen in the first lap, to fourth place with a spectacular comeback made up of good overtaking. The W13 car showed significant improvement after the disappointing start to the 2022 Formula One season.
Then the seven-time world champion was forced to slow down in the final few laps of the Spanish Grand Prix due to a water leak from the engine which caused overheating and in order not to blow up the engine, he had to settle for fifth position at the checkered flag, being overtaken by Scuderia Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, given the performance in Barcelona, does not rule out a Mercedes that could return to contention for the world championship, considering that George Russell’s gap from the top is 36 points and that for the Austrian manager Lewis Hamilton’s car was the fastest on the track, forgetting, perhaps, that the gap of the young British driver was over half a minute.
“I saw a car that today reminded me of those of previous seasons: on the first lap we were more than 30 seconds behind the whole group and with a great comeback we got close to the podium. It is a very encouraging figure and shows that we have made a big step forward. We have to bet on the fact that we can enter the fight for the world championship. But you need a car capable of finishing first and second. And I think we have valid reasons to believe that we can get there” – the Mercedes boss said.
Toto Wolff looks to the future, while Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes Mercedes could in fact get involved in the fight for race wins starting with the next round of the 2022 Formula 1 season:
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection from Puma! Enter the online Puma Store and shop securely! And get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
“Monaco is an unique Grand Prix. It is a competition in which what we saw in Barcelona is not necessarily relevant. In Monte Carlo I imagine that Mercedes can be part of the fight, because it is a car that has downforce and traction. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if George Russell and Lewis Hamilton can have a good race in Monaco. For me, you need to reset: it will be important to do a clean lap, it will be important for the driver who finds the right pace in the qualifying lap and without traffic. There will be many aspects and many details that can make the difference.” – Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto concluded.
Leave a Reply