Painful conclusion for Mercedes: 'They refuse to turn around'

Martin Brundle sees tension rising at Mercedes. The team does not seem to have a car to compete for the world title in 2023 either and that is causing increased pressure within the organisation.

From 2014, Mercedes dominated Formula 1, winning the drivers' and teams' titles every year until 2020, followed by its eighth constructors' title in 2021. However, new rules came in 2022 and since then it has been painfully obvious that Mercedes has missed the mark.

Wrong path by Mercedes

''It seems to me that Mercedes went the wrong way in 2022 and refuse to turn around. Even Lewis and Toto were openly expressing their disappointment at certain points of the weekend, and normally they only sing the praises of the teams at Brackley and Brixworth. It must be tense at the team right now,'' Brundle described in his column for Sky Sports.

Despite Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton fearing that the problem lies in the concept of the car, the team did not decide to abandon it last winter. George Russell already indicated that he would rather take those few steps back if it leads to better results in the future. However, the latter then remains to be seen.

With a budget cap, it will be difficult to develop a whole new concept during the season and so Mercedes is once again behind the times. ''They've also lost key people like Andy Cowell, James Vowles, and others, with James Allison also currently focused elsewhere (the sailing team of Mercedes sponsor INEOS). The remaining talent pool is immense, but it hasn't gelled yet,'' the former F1 driver concludes.