Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes the final upgrade package being brought to the 2022 car at the United States Grand Prix will not "drastically" help its Formula 1 fortunes. After eight-straight Constructors' Championships, Mercedes' run will end in 2022 as the W13 design has proved troublesome for the team to understand. Originally, it was held back by porpoising - and when the team finally fixed that, it discovered an in-baked design flaw - thought to be with the floor - that it could not rectify in-season. It has meant that the squad is facing a first winless season in F1 since 2011, while Lewis Hamilton's unique F1 record of securing a race win in every season of his career is under threat with four more chances - starting with a track he has won at five times and scooped the '15 and '19 titles. However, Wolff does not believe the package will thrust Mercedes into the fight with the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers.
Wolff doubts Mercedes upgrade
Mercedes will secure third in the Constructors', and while Hamilton is sixth in the Drivers', George Russell still has an outside chance of a top three. He is 47 points behind current P2 occupier Sergio Perez, with a battle for fourth with Carlos Sainz Jr (five points ahead) more likely. With Austin also a traditionally bumpy circuit - something the W13 has struggled with - Wolff has played down the chances. "Our final update package of the year will be brought to Austin," he explained. "It won't drastically change our fortunes, but we're hopeful it will bring us a step forward and closer to the front-runners. "We want to end this strongly and the result of the last two races (Singapore and Japan) only make us more determined to do so. "We need to use the limited track time available to make strides forward for this season and generate as much leaning as we can in the development race for 2023. "Those two aims are one and the same. "The Circuit of the Americas is a challenging track that often produces great racing, so we're excited to be back this year. "Hopefully [we can] put on a great show for the fans."
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