Frustrated Toto Wolff bemoans Mercedes 'suffered from all conditions'

Frustrated Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has claimed that his team 'suffered' at the 2023 Austrian GP. Wolff pointed out that the W14 suffered from both oversteer and understeer, showing a negative contrast to the previous two races.

Lewis Hamilton was unable to keep his car within the white lines at the Red Bull Ring and was awarded numerous five-second penalties for failing to abide to track limit regulations. The seven-time world champion, who is known for his precise driving, was heard cribbing about the dismal state of his W14 over team radio throughout the race.

After receiving additional penalties following the race, Hamilton dropped from P7 to P8, along with seven other drivers including Carlos Sainz, who dropped from P4 to P6.

Speaking about the terrible conditions in Austria, the Mercedes boss told the Italian wing of Motorsport.com:

"We had foreseen that Montreal would not be ideal and instead it was surprisingly good, while in Austria we thought that high speed would save our poor performance at low speed, But that was not the case.

"I think in high speed we were on par with some of the best, but the car was never in the right place. We suffered from all conditions, from understeer to oversteer. It never went well."

F1 pundit claims Mercedes driver Hamilton would not be able to beat Max Verstappen in a Red Bull

F1 pundit Peter Windsor, meanwhile, believes that Lewis Hamilton would not be able to match Max Verstappen's dominance even if he were in a Red Bull. Windsor cited Verstappen's 'symbiotic' relationship with his team, particularly with Adrian Newey.

The Silver Arrows have been on the backfoot since the aero regulations of 2022, which led to Red Bull's dramatic rise to the top, with Max Verstappen at the helm of the wheel. However, many have wondered if Lewis Hamilton, who was in good form until the end of 2021, would be able to best Verstappen in the same car.

F1 pundit Peter Windsor has other ideas, though. Speaking about the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers, Windsor told on his YouTube channel:

"In order for them to be teammates, it would mean Lewis joining Red Bull. In that situation, I think it would be Max. Because Max has this symbiotic relationship with Adrian and, to some extent, with Christian but more importantly, with Adrian.

"And Max knows Adrian's brain pretty well. Lewis will be chiming into that and he'll be getting into his racing car and it will feel great."

He continued:

"In terms of overall in a season, I think it would be almost impossible to beat the Max Verstappen-Adrian Newey partnership even if you're Lewis Hamilton."

With Mercedes seemingly struggling once again, it will be interesting to see the team's progress in Silverstone, where they are set to bring major upgrades.