It was a dramatic qualifying session for Mercedes in Austria. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell lost control of the W13 on the track. The result was a big loss for the team. Boss Toto Wolff is disappointed; the increase in the budget ceiling is already largely complete.
It was a dramatic qualifying session for Mercedes in Austria. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell lost control of the W13 on the track. The result was a big loss for the team. Boss Toto Wolff is disappointed; the increase in the budget ceiling is already largely complete.
On Friday of the Austrian GP weekend, it became clear that this year's budget ceiling will be raised. The teams indicated at the beginning of the year that the budget would be too tight.
According to teams such as Red Bull Racing and Ferrari, high inflation was not taken into consideration when setting the limit. The 3.1% increase in the budget freed up some room for maneuver, but for Mercedes it was reduced immediately.
FormulaPassion.it quotes Wolff at the FIA press conference: "After the double crash, there was a lot of work for the mechanics. We threw away a third of that increase yesterday with two crashes. Last night it looked like someone had dismantled a lego car on the ground. The damage was considerable."
Wolff jokes, but the consequences for the team seem enormous. Mercedes has already been at a huge disadvantage since the start of the season and needs to be extremely careful with its budget. In effect, this means that Mercedes will have to launch better upgrades than Ferrari and Red Bull with the same money.
The budget increase did not turn out to be a popular measure, with no less than nine teams voting in favor. It's a compromise that really doesn't work for any team. The bigger teams fighting for the title and podiums would have liked more budget, while the smaller teams didn't want any increase.
About the situation at Mercedes, the team boss says: "Energy prices are coming down a bit, shipments are still high, and inflation is stabilizing. The decision made in the F1 Committee helps us, but it doesn't solve all our problems."
Wolff concludes that from a sporting point of view, perhaps the right decision has been made: "Now nobody is happy, but this is a really good result.