F1 News
Schumacher: 'Mercedes does not understand the concept of its own car'
- Ludo van Denderen
Mercedes is licking its wounds this week, after a dramatic Grand Prix in Brazil. Where secretly hoped for a repeat of last season - when George Russell won the main race - the race actually turned into a total humiliation. Even Alpine was faster than Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, which struggled to finish a few seconds ahead of Tsunoda in the AlphaTauri.
An analyst for Sky Sports Germany, Ralf Schumacher had also seen the German team's firing. The former F1 driver could draw no other conclusion than, "Mercedes was very weak this weekend. Speaking to Sky's microphone afterwards, Toto Wolff was shocked. The problems arise because they don't understand the concept [of their own car]. There was more hope in Brazil, but everyone involved was disappointed. Therefore, I fear Mercedes is not out of the woods yet. This worries Toto Wolff."
Ferrari also had problems
According to Schumacher, Mercedes' weak performance should have played into the hands of rival Ferrari. But that team saw Charles Leclerc fly off the track as early as the warm-up lap. The Monegasque had a problem with the hydraulics, making the car uncontrollable. Even before the lights had gone out, all chances were gone for Leclerc.
"Ferrari has always been a bit of a problem child. Fred Vasseur cannot turn the whole shop inside out within six to seven months. It also took several years with Michael [Schumacher], Ross Brawn and Jean Todt. With Ferrari, you need patience," was the opinion of Schumacher, who was also critical of a Ferrari-affiliated team. Haas F1, with German Nico Hulkenberg, again failed to impress.
"The Haas update does not seem to be working, the tyre wear is incredibly high," Schumacher said. He did express his understanding that - despite the poor results - Hulkenberg is staying with the team for another season, as they dared to give him a new adventure in Formula 1.