Lewis Hamilton parked up with a power system failure, the reason for which is yet to be figured out, on lap 15 of a race won by Carlos Sainz after Max Verstappen retired with an early brake fire.
George Russell erased 2 laps from the flag – thinking his cars and truck to be agitated by Fernando Alonso instantly ahead. The Spaniard was ultimately punished by 20 seconds for altering his driving design and slowing down, which resulted in Russell quickly closing into his unclean air.
This began top of Hamilton chasing after remarkable set-up modifications to tame handling instability after he and Russell ran track in practice. Plus, Hamilton was gotten rid of in Q2. The set ultimately lined up on the grid in seventh and 11th.
Offered the Melbourne screen throughout which Mercedes “enormously did not have rate”, Wolff reckoned he wished to ‘punch himself on the nose’.
The Mercedes motorsport employer stated: “There were times in the race where we enormously did not have speed. And after that there were times at the end when you compare like for like, we were doing OK. Still not where we wish to be.
“But you might see in the 2nd stint, Fernando on the medium [tyre]we could not come anywhere close. The lap times appeared like a 2nd off the McLaren’s.
“Then unexpectedly the last [stint]when we went all out, not fretting excessive, the lap times were competitive. Not [a match for] Sainz. It was much better.”
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Picture by: Sam Bloxham/ Motorsport Images
Wolff likewise mentioned Mercedes, which had actually at first inhabited initially and second in 2015’s Australian GP, having actually fallen back early 2023 struggler McLaren and Ferrari
The Austrian continued: “So plainly, we began the season in the belief that this automobile is much better than it was in 2015.
“Then you l