Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says their uncompetitive start to the 2022 season reminds him of the last campaign in which they failed to win the world championship.
The reigning constructors champions qualified a full second off the pace at the last round in Jeddah, where Lewis Hamilton failed to make the cut for Q2. Speaking afterwards, Wolff said he was reminded of their last campaign before the V6 hybrid turbo era began, since when they have largely swept all before them.
“I love competition and I’ve always loved competition,” said Wolff. “We had a really strong run of eight years where we were leading the pack, not always, but we kind of managed our way into the lead.
“This time for me feels a little bit like 2013, where we just weren’t up to the speed with the Red Bull and probably also not with the Ferraris but we kept fighting. This is how I feel at the moment.”
Mercedes narrowly beat Ferrari to second place in the 2013 constructors championship, while Red…