Theorem | Mercedes must put world title this season out of mind

Mercedes had to painfully conclude Friday night that it is still far from the level it once was. With an eleventh and thirteenth final time for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton respectively, there is still a lot of work to be done. A world title seems by no means in the cards this season.

The German racing stable was hopeful about the coming months ahead of the race weekend in Italy. Although Mercedes knows full well that Ferrari and Red Bull Racing have more qualities to offer, it could be very satisfied with a second place in the world championship for Russell. The hope for better times was therefore clearly present in the team.

On Friday, however, the performance of Mercedes made it clear that the chances of the formation taking the world title this season are very slim. Russell and Hamilton did not only fall short of Ferrari and Red Bull but even had to put up with teams like Alpine, Haas, McLaren, Alfa Romeo and Aston Martin.

Due to the new regulations, it is likely that Mercedes will improve during the course of the season, so that both Britons may be able to compete among the top teams again in the autumn. However, should Red Bull and Ferrari continue to perform in the coming period, Mercedes is never going to catch up. Therefore, Mercedes would be wise to focus mainly on the development of the cars and no longer feel the pressure of another world title.

Friday night's confrontation between Wolff and Hamilton said enough. Both men still have the winner's mentality in them and are used to competing for prizes. The bitter conclusion, however, is that Mercedes is not expected to compete for the world title in 2022, but must settle for a place in the subtop.