'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Despite the significant progress made by Mercedes over the first half of the 2022 F1 season, team boss Toto Wolff appears to be unimpressed. He has rated the Silver Arrows' overall season so far at three out of ten, claiming that the team has not lived up to their own expectations.
Mercedes went from absolutely dominating the sport for eight consecutive seasons, to going an entire first half of the 2022 season without a single race win to their name.
When asked to grade the season for Mercedes by Gazzetta dello Sport, Wolff said:
“A three. Not because we haven’t won yet, but because we haven’t met our expectations. We are not very fast and have failed.”
He added:
“We didn’t suddenly become a bunch of idiots. We are still who we were before, we have the ingredients to come back, even when it will be difficult because we are a second behind Red Bull and Ferrari. That means we have to develop better and more than them. That is not easy.”
While Mercedes are yet to secure their first win of the year, it does not seem too far for the team. Lewis Hamilton, for one, has secured consecutive podium finishes over the last five races, while both drivers have taken to consecutive double-podium finishes in France and Hungary.
Mercedes could win a race "with luck", says former F1 driver
Dutchman Giedo van der Garde says that given Mercedes' experience with making a competitive car, he expects the team to secure a race win this season with luck. He predicts that the Silver Arrows will come back stronger than ever in 2023 to chase their ninth constructors' title, which seems rather unlikely this season.
Speaking to RacingNews365's Dutch affiliate, the former F1 driver said:
“Of course, it has already been said that they are working on the car for next year, where the concept might have to be completely different. But if they manage to build a good car (not even necessarily the best one), then they will just go back to competing for victories. And Lewis Hamilton will have the experience to win championships.”
“Mercedes is always a dangerous team. They have the knowledge, the know-how and they have already proven they can build good cars. The step they’ve taken in the last few races is incredibly big. It is nice that they are on the podium, but this year is otherwise hopeless. Maybe with luck they can win another race, but with a good car you can definitely put them back on the list for 2023.”
At the moment, Ferrari have a mere 30-point advantage over the Silver Arrows in the constructors' standings. This gap that could potentially diminish over the first couple of races after the summer break if the team manages to maintain their strong form.
