Mercedes’ pre-season testing was massively underwhelming, as the team were expected to come flying out the blocks following their 2022 struggles.
The W14 struggled with balance issues and hydraulic problems during testing, putting the Silver Arrows in a poor position heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The team decided to stick with their zero sidepod approach this season despite the struggles of the W14 and Lewis Hamilton’s recent comments suggest that not everyone agreed with that decision.
“It is difficult for everyone and not where everyone in the team wants to be and not where they deserve to be,” said the 38-year-old.
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“Everyone continues to work so hard and is so courageous and thoughtful but we are just on the wrong track. We have to graft away and try to get ourselves on the right track.”
Hamilton’s claim that Mercedes are on the wrong track has led Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz to question Mercedes, suggesting that the Brit and the team are not “singing from the same hymn sheet.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been quick to defend his team following these claims, telling reporters that Hamilton is 100 percent on board with the Silver Arrow’s plan.
“He’s absolutely in the same choir,” said the Austrian.
“We are super critical with ourselves and what we need to achieve. There is no such thing as a holy cow. We are looking at everything. Did we get it right with the concept? Should we have reacted earlier?
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“We just need to get our heads together. We’re going to get his aid. He has, when compared to [Fernando] Alonso, another four years in him as a minimum so we just need to get it done.”
It was heavily rumoured that Hamilton would extend his contract with Mercedes over the winter and despite rumours that the Brit is stalling to see how competitive the team are before signing a new deal, Wolff has claimed that it is only a matter of time until a deal is struck.
With Mercedes starting sixth and seventh at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the team will be hoping to begin the season with a strong haul of points.