Wolff frustrated with performance in Abu Dhabi GP: "Summary of the season"

A frustrated Toto Wolff believes the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix summarised Mercedes' season as a whole. Lewis Hamilton retired with just two laps to go with the team's first mechanical failure of the season, whilst George Russell was unable to advance forward. 

Mercedes started on the third row of the grid, behind both Ferrari and Red Bull. Hamilton ran wide on the opening lap of the race after Carlos Sainz tried to pull an overtake. Mercedes suspect this broke some of the floor on Hamilton's car. Just as Mercedes were looking strong, they started to drop backwards. Wolff reported that the team "cooked the tyres". 

"That was really not good. The third quickest today, one braking down and the other running out of tyres. A summary of the season and here we are. I think we cooked the tyres in the first few laps, the car was strong but the front right gave up. Maybe something we should've predicted, we knew Abu Dhabi would be a difficult one. Brazil was spectacular. That at least we ticked the box with a race win," Wolff told Sky Sports. 

Memorable season

For the first time since 2014, Mercedes leave Abu Dhabi without the Constructors' Championship. Their run of success has come to an end after they failed to capitalise on the rule and regulation changes introduced at the start of the 2022 season. Wolff vows to remember this season forever whilst promising a return to the top in 2023. 

"We are going to put these cars in reception to remind us every day how difficult it can be. This is a character-building season. Now we are pushing forward to next year, and next year we are back," Wolff added.