“It’s a disgrace, change your f**king car”- Fans SLAM Mercedes for falling behind its customer teams at the Austrian GP
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were outperformed by McLaren and Aston Martin at the Austrian GP.
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Lewis Hamilton (image via Bleacher Report), George Russell (image via Formu1anews.co.uk)
The Mercedes F1 team is having a rough 2023 F1 season. The Silver Arrows struggled to match the pace of front runners at the start of the year. Brackley introduced major upgrades to close up to rivals, including Red Bull-inspired side pods. However, the German team suffered a poor result at the Austrian GP, failing to beat its customer teams.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell struggled with one-lap pace during Qualifying and the Sprint shootout. Russell even failed to make it to the top 10 for the race. The two British drivers tried their best to salvage some points for Mercedes. Yet, it was not an easy race, with Hamilton spending several laps battling Lando Norris and ultimately finishing in P7.
The McLaren of Lando Norris was not the only customer team Mercedes failed to beat. The Silver Arrows were outperformed by Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin as well. However, this has been the case for most of the season. Alonso has had a staggering pace in the AMR23, with both Hamilton and Russell unable to get an edge on the two-time world champion.
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Fans unhappy after Mercedes’ disappointing result at the Austrian GP
Mercedes fans called out the team on Twitter. Users were ashamed to witness the poor results of the race as the Silver Arrows proved no match for its customer teams. One user wrote, “It’s a disgrace.” Another fan replied, “It’s absolutely shocking.” An angry user alleged that the Brackley-based team would not improve. The user commented, “This team never learn.”
Similarly, fans had lost their optimism about Mercedes’ prospects this season. One fan said, “We are finished.” On the other hand, one user referred to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner’s famous words from ‘Drive to Survive’ that said, “Change your f**king car.“ Perhaps a direct order to Mercedes Team Principle Toto Wolff.
Thus, Mercedes’ woes continue nine rounds into the 2023 season. The Silver Arrows have been working on extensive updates, but results highlight much left to do back at Brackley. The German team needs to step up quickly in a bid to provide Lewis Hamilton and George Russell with a car capable of not only beating customer teams but winning in Formula 1.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2335 Articles Published)