Mercedes have just four races left until they can say a much-wanted goodbye to the woeful W13, which has seen the Germans relinquish the Constructors’ Championship that they’ve held for eight consecutive seasons.
The Silver Arrows are set to finish third in the standings, with Ferrari 67 points ahead in second and Red Bull 232 points ahead of the reigning champions.
Their downfall wasn’t expected, with many having tipped Lewis Hamilton to comeback in 2022 stronger than ever, following the anger he must have felt following the “manipulated” 2021 season finale.
Hamilton is actually set for his worst result of his F1 career, as the seven-time World Champion is looking likely to finish at an all-time low of sixth in the Drivers’ Championship.
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Mercedes are also set for their worst performance since 2012, where they finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Third will be their lowest result since then, something Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks is “still respectable”.
“We are third on the road,” said Wolff to Channel 4.
“It’s not misery, it’s still respectable because we could have come out further back.
“But now we just need to sort it out and we are eager to be part of the very front, fighting for race wins, fighting for the championship.
“There is no sense of entitlement for us to win every single championship because that would be foolish.”
Mercedes will be desperate to claim a victory from one of the four remaining races, with the side having managed at least one win every year since 2012.
This weekend’s United States Grand Prix is believed to be their best bet of claiming victory, something the side would like to at least retain some dignity.
It is no secret that it’s the Germans own fault for their demise, with the W13 simply being a poor car in regard to the new aerodynamic regulations.
The side suffered horrific porpoising as a result of their ‘zero sidepods’, which resulted in the team halting development of the car, in order to prioritise upgrades to solve the issue.
Whilst they’ve struggled to understand how to fix their issues, Wolff is aware that there is”nothing mystical” about why they’ve struggled in 2022, after admitting the Brackley-based team simply “got the physics wrong”.
“Realistically, and we have talked about it the last few years, every series ends one day,” added the Austrian.
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“There is no team that is winning every single world championship over its lifetime, and that has happened.
“And it has happened because we got the physics wrong. There is nothing mystical about it suddenly.
“We have great people, equipment, infrastructure, financial resource, and what we got wrong was just how the car works. In a way, this gives us the confidence to sort it out again.”