“I’m crying over this” – Fans react as Mercedes puts out a statement following their poor performance in Bahrain

Mercedes have not been able to bring their A-game to the sport for quite a while. Back when the turbo hybrid era regulations were put in action, the team had completely aced them. The Brackley-based squad went on to win 8 constructors championships in a row which is no easy feat at all. However, ever since the 2021 season came to an end, it has all been going downhill for the once-so-successful F1 team.

For the new regulations change last year, the team brought out what they thought would be a revolutionary side-pod design. The catch was that the team ‘won’t be having’ side-pods on the car making Mercedes the first team to do so. This has been referred to as a ‘zeropods’ concept. While many thought that this design would work, the exact opposite happened. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had to suffer from extreme porpoising.

While their 2022 season went down the drain with zero race victories for Hamilton, his teammate, Russell went on to win a race in Brazil. Apart from that, the team was unable to repeat the success that they had achieved in the past. Fast forward to 2023, Mercedes chose to go with the same design for the F1 season but it seems like a disaster as they are yet again the third or 4th fastest team.

Read More: Lewis Hamilton asks for “accountability” from Mercedes for ignoring his advice on car issues

Fans react as Mercedes writes an open letter to its fans

The statement drew rather mixed reactions, though it was mostly positive. One fan also criticized the German team for using “every single man and woman” instead of “every single person” at one particular point during the statement. Others just want improvements, instead of statements. You can read the full letter here, on Mercedes F1’s website.

While the hopes for 2023 are not that well for the Factory team, the motivation is still there to perform the best they can. There have been rumors that Lewis Hamilton might leave the team after 2023 to either join another team or retire from the sport. The team’s performance is one of the key factors that could contribute to the 7-time world champion’s decision.

In case you missed it:

• British pundit can’t rule out ‘Ferrari fan’ Lewis Hamilton moving to the Italian giants if Mercedes “stay like this”
• ‘People are quick to look for scapegoats’ Mercedes F1 write in a ‘letter to the fans’ amidst growing concern inside the team

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