"I look like a fool"- Mercedes boss on earlier statements regarding team's 'ambition to win races' in 2022 F1 season

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is still targeting a win this season despite an average showing at the 2022 Belgian GP. Wolff admitted that he might even look like a fool making these proclamations after Mercedes was close to two seconds slower than Red Bull at Spa.

Reflecting on the prospects of the team this season, Toto Wolff admitted that the focus is on maximizing everything with this year's car:

"I think we still have the ambition to win races this year. I think if I would have told you that in Budapest, you would have said, well, that's pretty possible. Now, saying that I look like a fool. But some racetracks will suit our car much more than now. Hopefully, we'll get it right on Saturday. So that is the ambition whilst at the same time giving it a big focus on to next year."

He added that with the kind of performance this year's Mercedes has shown, the car would not be remembered fondly in the history of the German brand. He said:

"But it's clear. I think the positions are where they are. At least between the top three teams, it is what it is. Finishing second or third makes no difference to me. Nevertheless, I want to have the best possible race result every single weekend to gain confidence in what we do. I don't think it's going to have the highest place in the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Maybe it's going to go a little bit in the caves."

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Mercedes still getting out-qualified by Alpine or McLaren

George Russell talked about the fluctuations suffered by the car throughout the season and how the team has still not understood why that happens. Reflecting on the car's troubles this season, Russell said:

"It's definitely been a bit of a theme for us this season. We're still yet to fully understand why we have such a big swing, to be honest. The swing is probably less compared to Red Bull, but when you look at it compared to the midfield, we are often being out-qualified by an Alpine or a McLaren. I mean, even Alex [Albon, Williams] was very close to outqualifying us last week. But in the race, we showed some really strong pace."

Unlike Lewis Hamilton, who suffered a DNF on the first lap at Spa, Russell had a strong race and was in contention for the podium as he challenged Carlos Sainz late in the race. He could not however get the move done and, reflecting on the failed attempt, the Mercedes driver said:

"I was pretty disappointed not to be able to get the third position. Had I done things slightly differently, it would have been possible. But we just need to overcome our single-lap struggles. On my last stint, I went out pretty hard and probably didn't have any juice left in the tank with the tires when I caught up to Carlos."

Mercedes will hope for a stronger weekend at Zandvoort with the track characteristics more favorable to the car than what the team had at Spa.