‘No magic fix’ - Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff issues warning ahead of Australian Grand Prix

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff insists there will be no “magic fix” to cure Mercedes’ stuttering start to the 2022 Formula 1 season, but says he is targeting an improved display at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. The Silver Arrows, vying for a ninth successive constructors’ title, have struggled to match the pace of rivals Ferrari and Red Bull in the early weeks of the season.

Ad/> To make matters worse, the recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, won by Max Verstappen after an epic duel with Charles Leclerc, saw neither Mercedes car qualify inside the top five for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 2013, as Lewis Hamilton suffered a surprise elimination in Q1. Formula 1Wolff brands Mercedes start 'totally unacceptable' as Russell urges 'rethink' on car05/04/2022 AT 13:30 Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, enjoyed his only podium of 2022 at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix as a late double-retirement from Red Bull saw him elevated up into third place, one place ahead of team-mate George Russell.

However, their urgent need for pace was laid bare in first practice at the Australian Grand Prix as Hamilton and Russell finished seventh and 12th respectively, more than a second off the pace of leading Ferrari Carlos Sainz. «We are in a learning race and the first two weekends have shown we still have plenty to learn,” Wolff said in the lead-up to first practice.