“Trying lots of parts but lacking pace,” Toto Wolff admits Mercedes is still behind Red Bull and Ferrari

Toto Wolff the Mercedes team principal after the end of Friday Practice has admitted that in terms of pace his team is still not at the level of Red Bull and Ferrari.

Mercedes had a decent outing during FP2 where George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished P4 and P5 for the team, but despite the promising signs, Wolff has stressed that the W13 still requires a lot of work in order to get it to the level of the top two teams.

The Silver arrows had a brilliant outing in Austria where Hamilton was able to get on the podium with a P3 finish and teammate Russell ended up in P4. The team has been on the upwards trajectory in recent races and during this Sunday’s French Grand Prix their target is going to be to repeat what they did at the Red Bull Ring.

For the FP1 session, Nyck de Vries was asked to drive Lewis Hamilton’s W13 and the young lad did a pretty decent job as he managed to keep the car intact and was also able to secure P9.

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Toto Wolff believes Red Bull and Ferrari are looking in better shape as compared to Mercedes

Ahead of the French weekend, there was a lot of chatter about Mercedes bringing major upgrades to France but despite what the team did on the car in the two weeks break, Wolff believes it is not enough, and after Friday Practice, has indicated that Red Bull and Ferrari are once again favorites to land their cars in the podium places.

Wolff while stressing about Mercedes’s situation in Paul Ricard said, “Not where we want to be. Trying lots of parts but lacking pace. We have a few aero modifications on the floor and side edges. Little things that should make it better, who see the competition doing better.” 

“We’re losing in all corners against Ferrari, on the straights against Red Bull. Not an area, apart from turn 11 when we’re competitive.”

Wolff has stressed that the W13 is losing a lot of time in the corners and this has made the situation a bit tricky for the Brackley-based Mercedes team. Given what Toto Wolff has said after Friday’s practice, what do you think about their chances during the upcoming French Grand Prix?

Also Read: “Didn’t get the balance like we hoped for”: Max Verstappen dissects Red Bull’s pace during the free practice at Circuit Paul Ricard

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