It is very difficult to describe the season of Mercedes. The German stable it is undoubtedly one of the most constant in the paddock, but it is clear that on the W13 that decisive step is still missing to fight for the title with Ferrari e Red Bull.
Hungary, the race to restart?
Next year may be the right year to see Mercedes return to compete for very important positions, although, as admitted by Toto Wolff, there is still a long way to go:
“In Hungary we had a difficult weekend overall. We suffered a lot on Friday, we didn't really know which direction to look. Perhaps making so many mistakes on Friday was useful for doing almost everything right on Sunday. The other teams, Ferrari in particular, complained about the tyres. So, in my personal opinion, we're still far from the leaders, you saw that Leclerc had a great pace with the right tire, but at least we're in the same race."
Wolff: "We're still behind"
The race at the Hungaroring however, with the two Mercedes on the podium, highlighted the great strength of the silver arrow, even if Wolff doesn't want to run.
"I don't mean that now all of a sudden we are back in the game and we can win races – said the team principal – because I don't think so. I think we did well in Budapest on Saturday and reaped the results. I don't think we are close enough to Ferrari and Red Bull to really fight them."
No hurry
There is therefore no need to rush into the analyses. It is fair to give credit to Mercedes for having come close, with the updates, Ferrari and Red Bull, but for the moment Wolff's watchword is: calm.
“I would have liked more victories and fewer podiums. We are humble, but aim for race victories rather than finishing second and third. Today these positions are the result of a lot of work and are deserved. So this is a good step forward."
STATEMENT SOURCE: F1in general
