Formula 1
Mercedes: Ending year as F1’s "first loser" not the target
Mercedes says that overhauling Ferrari to finish an unlikely second in the Formula 1 world championship this year matters less than getting back to winning ways later this season.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Aug 2, 2022, 12:54 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The German car manufacturer appears to have turned the corner on its early campaign troubles as it bagged a second double podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
George Russell came home third, having started from pole position, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from a DRS failure in qualifying to take his second successive second place finish.
With Ferrari enduring another torrid afternoon, as title contender Charles Leclerc slumped to sixth and Carlos Sainz finished fourth, Mercedes has closed to within 30 points of its Italian rivals in the constructors’ championship.
Based on its current trajectory, Mercedes has a good chance to overhaul Ferrari and finish behind Red Bull this season – but team boss Toto Wolff says that such a feat is not of that much interest.
Instead, he says that of much more importance to him is the ability for Mercedes to take another performance step and start delivering race wins on pure pace.
“Second, first loser,” he said, when asked about the chances of now beating Ferrari this season.
“I think that for me personally, whether second or third in the constructors' world championship is not so relevant compared to really racing and being at the front and developing the car so we can win races on merit.
“Beat the Ferraris, beat the Red Bull and prepare for next year rather than really care about the championship position.”
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG, 3rd position, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG2n congratulate each other in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Hamilton’s runner-up position at the Hungaroring means that he has now finished on the podium more times than early championship favourite Leclerc – showing the level of progress that Mercedes has made.
But Wolff, again, says that being among the frontrunners is not something that his team wants – it is about being in front.
“I would have rather had more wins and less podiums,” he said. “We are humbled, but we are striving for race victories rather than second and third. But if they are on merit like today, then it's a good step forward.”
Read Also:
- Horner: "Not one ounce" of me wishes Ferrari was putting up better F1 fight
- Ferrari explains reasons behind Leclerc’s doomed F1 hard tyre switch
- Russell "rubbing hands together" with rain forecast in Hungarian GP
Wolff reckoned that beyond the Hungary result, the amount of understanding it has taken away from its up and down weekend will be hugely helpful in pushing it forward over the second half of the campaign.
“I think it was a difficult weekend overall, because the suffering of Friday was just big when we didn't really know which direction to look at,” he added.
“Maybe getting it so wrong on Friday was helpful in getting it very right, almost completely right, on Sunday.
“I think we have a lot of data to look at, a lot of positiveness from the last weekend in France and here, and that we can build on for the second half of the season.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Brain damage risks shows FIA must act on F1 porpoising, says Wolff
Next article Horner: "Not one ounce" of me wishes Ferrari was putting up better F1 fight
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jonathan Noble
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
More from
Mercedes
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
4 h
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Kimi Antonelli: "Weird" spin and car instability cost F1 Brazilian GP win
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
5 h
Kimi Antonelli: "Weird" spin and car instability cost F1 Brazilian GP win
Latest news
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 h
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe