The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, won on Sunday by Max Verstappen, gave a splendid show on the track. There was no lack of strategic challenges, cunning moves and finally a splendid duel like the one between the Dutch, reigning world champion, and Charles Leclerc. The battle between Red Bull # 1 and Ferrari # 16 decided the outcome of the race. The confrontation between the teams from Maranello and Milton Keynes, which emerged overwhelmingly during the first two weekends of the year, however, made the absence from the top battles of the Mercedes. In fact, since F1 entered the hybrid era, the Brackley team had never started the championship so badly.
The second place in the constructors’ classification – with a point of advantage over Red Bull – is the result of the sensational double retirement suffered by Verstappen and Perez in Bahrain, but the problems of the W13 go far beyond the simple data of the classification and have been best exemplified by Lewis Hamilton in Jeddah. While George Russell was ‘satisfied’ with the role of third force, collecting fifth place at the finish, the seven-time world champion tried to force his hand with the setup of the car on Saturday, however, resulting in an embarrassing 16th place and theelimination in Q1. In the race the # 44 partially climbed the slope, but the certainty is that in this moment the silver arrows – with no retirements in front of them – can aspire to fifth position at the most.
This is a marathon, not a sprint and we are more determined than ever to get ourselves back fighting at the front. ???? pic.twitter.com/05BX9H3RDq
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 29, 2022
A reality that is difficult to accept for those who have won eight manufacturers’ titles and seven drivers in the last eight championships. The team principal Toto Wolff however, he was the first to underline the will of the Anglo-German team to return to occupying the very first positions of the classification as soon as possible. An ambition also expressed by the entire Mercedes group through a particular ‘motivational’ post published on the team’s official account: “This is a marathon, not a sprint and we are more determined than ever to return to battle at the top “. A clear declaration of intent which, however, seems to have to deal with a difficult reality. We’ll see if in Melbourne and then especially in the first European GP at Imola the music will change for the Stuttgart house.
