Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he felt like he had three drivers through the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as he discovered himself carefully monitoring Lewis Hamilton’s progress following the Brit’s swap to Ferrari.
Hamilton left Mercedes after 12 seasons with the Silver Arrows on the finish of final yr, following a historic partnership that noticed him win six of his seven drivers’ titles.
Mercedes signed Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli to exchange Hamilton as George Russell’s team-mate, and the duo made a powerful begin in Melbourne by taking fourth and third, respectively.
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“After I was trying on the screens, at occasions, the way in which I checked out it’s like we had three drivers as a result of I used to be taking a look at RUS, I used to be taking a look at ANT and I used to be taking a look at HAM,” mentioned Wolff, referring to the three-letter abbreviations that every driver is given on the timing screens.
“And you then realise, properly HAM is definitely with Ferrari and isn’t with us anymore.”
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One of the best of the motion from the primary race of the 2025 System 1 season on the Australian Grand Prix
Hamilton endured a vastly underwhelming first weekend with Ferrari, qualifying eighth earlier than ending tenth within the race because the Italian workforce displayed a shocking lack of tempo.
Wolff added: “It was such a very long time, it is logical, you can not simply say he is gone, and you do not care anymore.
“You very a lot care how he is doing however clearly on monitor, he is the competitors and we have to beat the competitors.”
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Lewis Hamilton speaks after his opening race as a Ferrari driver, ending tenth on the Australian Grand Prix
‘Mercedes must get higher to combat for race wins’
Mercedes have struggled because the present design rules, which change on the finish of this season, have been launched in 2022.
They seem to have began 2025 in a stronger place than any of their three earlier campaigns, however Wolff admits they must discover a important quantity of efficiency to have the ability to compete with pace-setting McLaren, for whom Lando Norris gained in Melbourne.
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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz displays on all the massive speaking factors from the Australian Grand Prix
“I feel it is a stable first weekend, however taking a look at it at all times from the glass half-empty aspect, it’s important to say that the tempo of the McLaren is simply very robust,” Wolff mentioned.
“We have to get higher if we wish to combat on advantage for race victories and for a championship, there’s positively one thing which we have to discover.”
Wolff specified the flexibility of McLaren – and to a lesser diploma Crimson Bull, who had Max Verstappen end second – to handle their tyres as the important thing space his workforce must catch up in.
He added: “We’ve got a deficit in maintaining the tyres within the window. They’re able to do this higher and get quicker, and with us we’re seeing a degradation as a result of they’re merely getting too sizzling.
“I’d have favored to be a bit nearer to them, however that is the truth.”
Sky Sports activities F1’s reside Chinese language GP schedule
Thursday March 20
- 5am: Drivers’ Press Convention
Friday March 21
- 1am: F1 Academy Follow
- 3am: Chinese language GP Follow One (session begins at 3.30am)*
- 5.30am: Crew Principals’ Press Convention
- 6am: F1 Academy Qualifying*
- 6.45am: Chinese language GP Dash Qualifying (session begins at 7.30am)*
Saturday March 22
- 2.25am: Chinese language GP Dash build-up*
- 3am: Chinese language GP Dash*
- 5.45am: F1 Academy Race 1*
- 6.35am: Chinese language GP Qualifying build-up*
- 7am: CHINESE GP QUALIFYING*
- 9am: Ted’s Qualifying Pocket book*
Sunday March 23
- 2.40am: F1 Academy Race 2
- 5.30am: Chinese language GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
- 7am: THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX*
- 9am: Chinese language GP response: Chequered flag*
- 10am: Ted’s Pocket book*
*Additionally on Sky Sports activities Essential Occasion
The F1 circus heads straight to Shanghai this week for the primary Dash weekend of the season on the Chinese language GP, reside on Sky Sports activities F1. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime