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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff explained how the W15 has gone from being the best car in three years by Lewis Hamilton in FP3 to something that's undrivable in qualifying. The German team haven'y had the best of starts to the season in what has become a worrying trend in the ground effect era.
The team dominated the turbo hybrid era but moving to ground effect has brought down Mercedes' performance level. The team that won eight consecutive titles from 2014 to 2021 has had just one race win since 2022. Even the new car concept that's more in line with the grid's benchmark, Red Bull, hasn't helped.
In an interview after qualifying in the Australian GP, the Mercedes boss was questioned about Hamilton not even making it through to Q3 in qualifying. Wolff noted how the car was termed the best it has been in three years after FP3, but a 5-degree change in track temperature threw everything out the window. Wolff said:
“I think you should have heard (Hamilton) after FP3 this morning. He said that the car is the best in three years. He had so much rear downforce, and he feels confident."
He added:
“And we didn’t change the car, track temperature changed by five degrees, believe it or not, so that’s nothing – and the car transformed from something that was the best in three years to something that is undriveable.”
Mercedes clueless about the cause of the issue
When questioned why something like that has caused such a drastic impact on the car and why the team has been unable to adapt to it, Toto Wolff admitted that th issue is being looked into.
He also revealed that at this stage, Mercedes have no idea why the car has behaved in the manner it has due to just a five-degree change in temperature. He said:
“Well, we have no idea, that’s part of the issue. We have two and a half thousand people that work on these cars, half on the engine, the other half on the chassis, and we are looking at everything.
The German team haven't looked the most confident this season, as they have encountered issues at different levels. However, considering their stature, they should bounce back soon and return to podium contention.
