Mercedes: 'We can't catch up with Ferrari and Red Bull in one go'

Mercedes still has "far, far more" upgrades to introduce for the rest of the Formula One season, chief strategist James Vowles assures in the debrief on YouTube. At the French Grand Prix, the pace of the W13 was disappointing, but it seems there is still plenty in the pipeline in the second half of 2022.

Mercedes had hoped that the upgrades in France would bring more to the team, but the performance of the W13 continued to disappoint. Vowles, however, assures that there is still much more in the pipeline for the German stable. "We have plans to introduce far, far more across the races that follow," says the Briton.

Mercedes hopeful of forthcoming updates

He stresses that the upgrades will come in small steps rather than in one big package. "We’re not going to be able in one go to just catch up and be with Ferrari and Red Bull," Vowles continued. However, he hopes Mercedes can continue to close the gap on the leaders.

The statements from Mercedes' chief strategist suggest that the team has all but given up on the W13 and that the focus will not yet shift to the car for 2023. The team will have to watch its pennies however, as the crashes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have cost it dearly. Earlier in the year, the top teams indicated that it would be difficult to stay within the budget cap.