Thread by @JunaidSamodien_

#AMuS 2022 Mercedes lost the duel against Ferrari in the battle for second place. Toto Wolff settles accounts with the problem child W13 and explains why Mercedes can be expected again in 2023.

One win, 17 podiums, a pole position, a sprint win, 6 fastest laps: For many F1 teams, this record would be a dream. It's a setback for a team that has won eight world titles in a row.

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Toto Wolff would like to put the Mercedes W13 in the farthest corner of the museum. In Abu Dhabi, the piñata once again showed its whims.

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Still a winning car in Brazil, the Mercedes was only third behind Red Bull and Ferrari just seven days later. The Silver Arrow wasn't even able to score in terms of tire wear. Ferrari was at least equal. And with Charles Leclerc at the wheel, a touch faster.

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The engineers don't think it was just the adjustment with a lot of downforce. "The simulations showed that we would not have been further up in qualifying with a smaller wing."

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Instead of making up 19 points on Ferrari, Mercedes lost 20 points on their rival. Ferrari made ends meet without a hitch. Mercedes had to cope with a 5.2-second pit stop by George Russell followed by an unsafe release penalty, as well as Lewis Hamilton dropping out because...

[....] the hydraulics went on strike. The vehicle balance tilted towards the front tires at Hamilton and towards the rear at Russell. But the Mercedes was generally too slow in the mix of two long straights and a winding section.

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The half second that was lost to Red Bull and Ferrari in the middle sector could not be made up in the final section. And then the bouncing came back in fast corners. In turns 3, 9 and 11, the drivers complained about annoying hobbling.

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Third place in the Championship was still easier for Toto Wolff to get over than the defeat against Max Verstappen the year before.

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"The disappointment was greater because everything was taken away from us within seconds. We no longer had control over the situation. This time it's our own fault. Others did a better job with the new regulations than we did."

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The spectacular W13 was a problem child from the start. "It was half a year before we had solved the bouncing and got to know the weak points of the car for the first time. It's like starting a 100-meter run ten meters behind," Wolff said.

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After that, when looking for the error, one peeled one onion skin after the other, only to find that there was still a problem layer underneath. In the end it was no longer just about making the car faster, but understanding why it is so unpredictable.

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This task was completed when one could finally trust one's simulation tools again. "We now know why the car does what it does," said Lewis Hamilton with satisfaction. Now it's just a matter of drawing the right conclusions.

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This year, Mercedes had to be content with only having one car for certain tracks. Austin, Mexico, Interlagos were among them. Abu Dhabi not. If you want to beat Red Bull and Ferrari next year, you need more consistency. A car for all occasions.

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"It was a difficult year, but it was necessary to recharge the batteries in the organization," says Wolff. Success cannot be taken for granted.

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Mercedes has analyzed his relapse in detail and compared it with that of other top teams. It mostly depends on one factor.

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"Either it's new tires that don't make the car work, or key people who left the team, or a car that wasn't good enough. In our case, it was the car. It's up to us to fix that. We want each other not meet again in two years in the same place and tell the same thing."

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Although a bit of doubt always remains, Wolff believes that Mercedes can compete for the title again next year. "Everything is stable with us: the team, the drivers, the technology."

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The Austrian is not afraid of long dry spells like Ferrari after the Schumacher era or Red Bull in the hybrid age. "Ferrari lost its entire management team and its driver at the time. Red Bull didn't have a factory engine. Crucial parameters were lost."

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Wolff predicts that the landscape in Formula 1 will change. "The cost cap will compress the field and bring us opponents who are not our opponents today."

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"I don't think eight titles in a row will be possible again. On the other hand, we have more wind tunnel time than Red Bull and Ferrari. This advantage we have to use it."

READ THE STORY IN GERMAN RIGHT HERE _> auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/merce…