“We’ve just got to keep fighting. A big thank you to all the people back at the factory. We can close that gap, it’s going to be tough but not impossible.”
MELBOURNE—Mercedes hopes come alive after a brilliant drive from seven-time Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, coming in second to pole-sitter Red Bull ace, Max Verstappen in a wild Australian Grand Prix.
With the win, the “Silver Arrows” are now starting to look competitive after a distressing season-opener in Bahrain. Team boss Toto Wolff declared they had “one of their worst days” in racing, with Lewis Hamilton complaining of becoming “the fourth-fastest team”.
Following a lackluster 2022 when the eight-time constructors champions were dethroned by Red Bull, Mercedes’ outlook seemed bleak heading into the new year.
But they made strides in Saudi Arabia and are now singing a different tune following the podium win.
George Russell had a fantastic start and was also lightning-quick before a power unit failure forced him to quit on lap 17.
“Considering we’re down on performance, to be fighting with the Aston Martins is amazing for us at this point in the season,” said an upbeat Hamilton after holding off a surging Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and overcoming battles with safety cars and three red flags.
“We’ve just got to keep fighting. A big thank you to all the people back at the factory. We can close that gap, it’s going to be tough but not impossible,” he continued.
With a three-week break until the next race in Azerbaijan, Wolff meanwhile said they would take their learnings from Australia and keep moving forward.
“We had strong pace and it was really close with the Aston Martins and the Ferraris. That is good news for us, and I think we have made a step forward this weekend, both on one-lap and race pace,” he said.
“We maximized what we have, and we need to now comb through the data and continue to learn about the car. This will help bring the upgrade packages and that will be the key in challenging the leaders more often.”
