The Silver Arrows camp arrived in Melbourne optimistic about taking a “large step ahead”, with Lewis Hamilton defending the W15 as an “superb automotive” and never being an “evil sister”.
This adopted driver complaints that the workforce was falling again within the opening races of the brand new yr, with Mercedes beginning strongly in free follow solely to regress in qualifying and the race.
However Mercedes motorsport boss Wolff referred to as out a troublesome Friday displaying in Melbourne after his drivers slipped from third (George Russell) and ninth (Hamilton) in FP1 to sixth and 18th.
Laying the blame with excessive set-up adjustments between the 2 periods that “massively backfired”, the Austrian instructed Sky Sports activities: “We’ve achieved the experiments, however we’ve not unlocked efficiency.
“Within the second session, now we have gone via a extremely fairly dramatic set-up change on Lewis. That has massively backfired. However because of this we’re having these periods.
“On the opposite facet [with Russell], it was a bit higher. However we’re missing efficiency.
“I believe on a single lap, if you happen to end a set lap, we’re a bit higher. However general, it wasn’t factor.
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15
Picture by: Mark Horsburgh / Motorsport Photographs
He added that Mercedes nonetheless had all of the instruments at its disposal to regain competitiveness in the course of the present guidelines period, saying: “If I’d say that I am not annoyed, it will be not the reality.
“Actually we’re as a result of we’re attempting a lot in all instructions, however do not appear to have discovered that silver bullet but, which helps us to get us in the correct route.
“However we have to maintain attempting. We have seen efficiency on this automotive earlier than.
“I simply do not wish to return and say we’re simply not good in these [ground-effect] laws, as a result of now we have all the pieces we want with a view to get on high of that. And we’ll.”
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin reckoned the bigger-scale efficiency tweaks to enhance in high-speed corners and reduce the bouncing from Saudi Arabia had labored, regardless of the FP2 struggles.
He mirrored: “We had FP1 session. The adjustments we made to enhance our high-speed cornering efficiency and scale back the bouncing after Saudi Arabia appeared to be step in the correct route. General, the automotive was feeling fairly good.
“Sadly, FP2 wasn’t as sturdy. Lewis felt that we had gone within the mistaken route with our adjustments. Frustratingly, they weren’t fast to unwind so he needed to reside with that all through the session.
“George discovered the automotive a bit trickier within the windier situations of FP2 in comparison with earlier within the day. We may have ended a bit larger up the time sheets had he not had a bit of harm. General although, it’s clear that we have got work to do in a single day to enhance the automotive.”
