"That will bite us"- Mercedes boss jokes about removing car's rear wing for 2022 F1 Italian GP

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff feels the W13 might struggle around Monza because of the excess drag it produces down the straights. The Austrian was questioned about how the team is looking to solve the problem of excess drag produced by the car, to which he joked that the team might remove the rear wing to reduce it.

Wolff said:

“We’re thinking about removing the rear wing overall, to be less vulnerable on the straight. I mean, we have a barn door of a car with too much drag, and [with] downforce where we really don’t need it. That is something we wish we can change quickly. That’s for next year, and we’re learning the hard way at the moment. And I believe that on some tracks, especially in qualifying that that will bite us. The races look better, like you’ve seen in Spa that there wasn’t such a big differential on the straight.”

With Lewis Hamilton expected to start the 2022 F1 Italian GP at the back of the grid this weekend, it looks highly unlikely that Mercedes will be able to challenge for a win. Hampering the Silver Arrows' chances for a win is not just the Briton starting the race at the back, but the car characteristics as well.

Earlier in the week, Nico Rosberg had pointed out how Mercedes might struggle around Monza and did not think the team could fight for a win this weekend. He said:

“Monza goes back towards this Spa package, where we saw how quick Red Bull and Max Verstappen were. So I would definitely consider him the absolute top favourite there and Ferrari probably second. Unfortunately, Mercedes, they have this issue that they have such a big drag going down straights.”

He further added that:

“They have the same downforce in the corners as a Ferrari or Red Bull but so much more drag than them going in the straights. And that’s costing them so much lap time when you go to a track like Monza. So I don’t think Mercedes are going to be in the hunt for win there.”

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Mercedes had a shot at a win in Zandvoort last weekend

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was adamant that the German team had a shot at a win in Zandvoort if not for the Virtual Safety Car that ruined the race. He said that Max Verstappen would have had to pit during the 2022 F1 Dutch GP, coming out behind George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, and requiring him to overtake them to win.

Claiming that things would have been much closer than the way it all turned out, Wolff said:

“The simulation says that Max [Verstappen] would have come out eight seconds behind us with 20 laps to go. He would have probably pitted on the hard at the time, and, I think, we would have had a fair shot at the win. The race planner said the win is on. Tight, but on. It would have said about six laps from the end. It was very close.”

It will be interesting to see what kind of weekend the Silver Arrows have this time around at Monza.