© Getty Images
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says “there is a certain degree of contentment that Mercedes is back”, but “the prevailing feeling is now we have a fight on our hands with Ferrari”.
After years of struggles, Mercedes has kicked off the new Formula 1 era in spectacular fashion – with an amazing 1-2 victory at the Australian Grand Prix.
However, according to team boss Toto Wolff, it will not be just smooth sailing from here, as Ferrari has shown itself to be a formidable opponent.
“There is so much contentment that I feel in the team at the moment,” Wolff said after the race.
“When we’ve had the winning streak of eight championships and then difficult years, we still won races and finished second in the championship, but a solid one-two means for the season ahead, you can fight for a world championship, and [we haven’t had that] for a long time.
“Then you are probably more grateful when you bounce back like this, having had the difficult years.
“When it comes to Ferrari, before the race people were saying, ‘You’re going to disappear in the distance, looking at your long runs’, and that wasn’t the case.
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
“We knew that they were strong on the starts and that’s what happened. It was an out-and-out battle between Charles and George at the beginning.
“Kimi was a bit unlucky that the battery wasn’t on the level that it should have been – on either car actually, to a certain degree.
“It was a three-way fight at a certain stage between the two Ferraris and George, and eventually Kimi caught up.
“The race pace at the end was very encouraging from our side, but at the beginning, there was nothing between Ferrari and Mercedes.
“For me, the prevailing feeling is now we have a fight on our hands with Ferrari.
“There was a worry it wasn’t going to be exciting in terms of the fighting and the boost and the overtake modes, but it actually made [the race] quite interesting to watch on a track particularly difficult for energy, so we’ll see how that goes in Shanghai.
“But most of all, there is a certain degree of contentment that Mercedes is back.”
While Mercedes’ performance has been off the charts, they did not do such a good job when it comes to race starts, especially compared to Ferrari, who excelled today in that department.
Asked whether he thinks Mercedes is going to catch up in this area soon, the Austrian replied:
“I’m not sure. I think it’s down to hardware. A certain configuration of hardware and the engine turbo size that allows you to spin the turbo maybe easier, to have a better start and maybe compromising other parts of the track or the race.
“No, we haven’t changed anything for the starts. I was happy that we actually got going, even though the battery wasn’t full on either car.
“When you look at the pre-start with the engine revving, you’re thinking: ‘What the hell? I hope everybody is able to leave his starting position without carnage.’
“So I think it was pretty good already for a first,” he concluded.
