Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff warns: “That has been our Achilles’ heel so far”

Most Grand Prix pundits and fans were expecting another Mercedes victory at the Grand Prix on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. After all, in every Grand Prix so far this season, a Mercedes driver had stood on the top step of the podium. At the season opener in Melbourne, it was veteran George Russell; his young team-mate Kimi Antonelli then went on to win the next five Grand Prix.

The question on everyone’s lips on Saturday evening ahead of the race in Barcelona was therefore: would Russell be able to capitalise on his pole position and return to winning ways, or would Antonelli manage to continue his winning streak?

A reality check in Barcelona

In the end, however, it was Antonelli’s predecessor, Lewis Hamilton, who crossed the finish line first. The seven-time world champion thus celebrated his first GP victory in red; the Scuderia team from Maranello were over the moon, whilst the teenager leading the world championship had to settle for a bitter zero-point finish. Shortly before the end of the race, the 19-year-old from Bologna was hampered by a battery problem. His team-mate Russell finished second.

Team principal Toto Wolff reflected: “Barcelona served as a benchmark for our current performance and provided us with a reality check after winning the first six races. The competition has caught up quickly and we need to respond to that. We’re fighting for both world championships, but we need to improve if we want to be right at the top by the end of the season.”

Mercedes: Valuable points left on the table

“So far, our Achilles’ heel has been reliability. In recent races, we’ve lost a large number of points with both cars. If we don’t put in faultless race weekends, our rivals will capitalise on this,” says the Viennese. And he makes it clear: “We’re not resting on our laurels: we’ll be bringing a number of updates with us this weekend in Austria, with the focus on improving performance and reliability.”

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“The gaps are tight and will be even tighter at Spielberg given the short lap. We need to put in a better race weekend than in the last few races. But if we can perform to our full potential, then we know we can be in the running for victory,” the 54-year-old is certain.