Wolff insists Mercedes 'sticking together' amid Hamilton frustrations

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Toto Wolff says Mercedes' troops are "sticking together" in the wake of the team's poor start to its 2023 campaign and amid the public grievances expressed by Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes was significantly outperformed by its dominant Red Bull rival in the opening race of the season in Bahrain, but the Brackley squad's W14 was also defeated on pure pace by Ferrari and Aston Martin.

The team is attacking its car's downforce and balance issues head-on, with changes set to be implemented in upcoming races. But its troubled start has frustrated Hamilton who warned Mercedes last year about its car's development for 2023.

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"Last year, there were things I told them. I said the issues that are with the car," Hamilton told BBC Radio 5 Live's Chequered Flag podcast earlier this week.

"I've driven so many cars in my life so I know what a car needs. I know what a car doesn't need."

Last weekend, Wolff himself acknowledged that the concept of Mercedes' W14 was fundamentally flawed and that the car would not allow the team to be competitive.

But as Mercedes engineers dig in to improve the team's affairs, Wolff insists the outfit's solidarity as well as its relationship with Hamilton are intact.

"The Lewis situation is you heard him on the [team] radio," Wolff explained. "He is an integral part of the team, picking the team up and we are all sticking together and I don’t think that is going to change just because we had a start that was really bad.

"We have won eight constructors' championships and six drivers’ championships with him and that relationship holds."

It has been suggested that Mercedes' troubles, should they persist for a second year, could eventually dissuade Hamilton from signing a new contract with the team for 2024 and beyond.

But Wolff is not giving much thought to such considerations, at least not yet.

"As much as being transparent as to how we need to turn the car around, it is not the point to talk about the driver situation in 2024. It's far too early," he replied when asked about Mercedes' contract dealings with its star driver.

"We need to all push in the same direction, the drivers, the engineers, all the management rather than throwing in the towel. We have never done that and we will not do it.

"We just need to really dig deep and deeper than we have ever done and provide both drivers with a car they are able to fight with."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.