Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the eight-time Constructors' World Champions will use the rest of the 2022 Formula 1 season to "try stuff" now they are unlikely to retain the title. After dominating F1 since the inception of the turbo-hybrid formula in 2014, Mercedes have struggled in 2022, with their W13 machine affected badly by porpoising, leaving the squad scratching their head about how to fix it and get on par with Red Bull and Ferrari. Drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have had an uptick in performance over the past two races, but Mercedes are still winless this season. It is the first time since 2011 that the team have gone into the summer break without a race victory to their name. And given the fact that Red Bull are over 100 points clear of Mercedes in the Constructors' standings, Wolff believes the team can now get a head start for 2023.
Mercedes can now "try stuff" for 2023, says Wolff
As the team battled to understand the porpoising, Hamilton, as the senior driver, was often given experimental parts to test in practice earlier in the season. And Wolff reckons Mercedes can get even more experimental now that both championships are a "long shot". "I think we need to stay humble, and look [at] race weekend after race weekend," he told Sky Sports F1 after the Hungarian Grand Prix. "We can try to learn and do the experiments [on the car, as] it's a long shot for the championship this year. "So we're in a situation where we can try stuff, which was done in Friday [practice, which is] as frustrating as it is sometimes, to put us in a situation where we can actually fight for wins at the end of this season."
Not winning is "super frustrating" for Mercedes
Since the inception of the turbo hybrid era, Mercedes have won 111 races, and after all their success, Wolff says not winning is "super frustrating". "Look, we have discussed all these years what would happen if we lose, and it happened," he added. "I can tell you it's super frustrating. [You can think] whatever you want, however you think of how to pick yourself up and how to stay motivated. "There was a moment on Friday [in Hungary] where I wasn't the best me and it's just a learning process. "We'll write the study afterwards about the oscillation between depression and exuberance."
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