Debate | Mercedes are the rightful second-place finishers in 2023
General
- Ludo van Denderen
Nobody will read this on Wikipedia in a few years' time: Mercedes ended the 2023 season in second place in the constructors' championship. In the end, the margin to Ferrari was three points, putting Mercedes one place higher in the standings than exactly a year ago. Progress, then, although the team with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell failed to win a Grand Prix. That begs the proposition: 'Mercedes is the rightful number two in 2023'
After 22 Grand Prix, you can say that the standings don't lie: Mercedes achieved the most points behind Red Bull Racing, so it is quite right for the team to finish second. On the other hand, Mercedes were certainly not the number two on the track. Sometimes it was McLaren, sometimes Ferrari, sometimes Aston Martin. The balance of power behind Red Bull seemed to change almost weekly.
Hamilton picked up points consistently
Mercedes did this for a number of reasons. First, team boss Toto Wolff employed the most successful F1 driver of all time. You can say what you want about Lewis Hamilton, but he almost always manages to optimise. Every race Hamilton finished, he was among the top ten (including the United States Grand Prix, where he was later disqualified). By relentlessly racking up points, he also managed to finish third in the drivers' championship and helped his team.
Moreover, the W14 was not as bad as Mercedes would like you to believe. Ferrari and Aston Martin had high highs and deep lows. Mercedes too had peaks and troughs, but there almost always seemed to be a base on which at least one of the drivers did well. The fluctuation in performance was usually less. Never mind that Mercedes thus failed to win a race, while Ferrari managed to win one. And McLaren were on the podium more often than the Germans. But McLaren had a dramatic start to the season.
What do you think? Is Mercedes the rightful number two? Comment in the comments and don't forget to vote!