Toto Wolff warns there will be ‘no magic fix’ for Mercedes at Australian Grand Prix

Last year’s title race feels like a long time ago as the new W13 struggles with porpoising

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Mercedes won’t be looking at a dramatic turnaround in race No.3 of the 2022 Formula One season, according to Toto Wolff.

The boss has been disappointed by the team’s showings at both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia - despite standing second in the constructor championship at present, Mercedes have been well off the pace in both races.

They are ahead of Red Bull only by virtue of their opening-raceday issues, with Max Verstappen roaring back to win last time out while George Russell placed fifth and Lewis Hamilton came home in 10th.

It’s a far cry from the regular victories and podium finishes during last year’s epic title fight, and there’s still more pain to come in the short term, says Wolff.

“We are in a learning race and the first two weekends have shown we still have plenty to learn,” he said.

“At the moment, our track performance is not meeting our own expectations, but everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is focused on understanding the problems and finding the right solutions.

“There won’t be a magic fix for the next race weekend, but we’re pushing to steadily bring gains over the upcoming races, to hopefully move us closer to the front of the pack.

“Until then, we need to maximise each opportunity and make the most of the package we have.”

While the problems are clearly with the new car design, in particular trying to combat the porpoising effect which costs lap time, Wolff is happy with the efforts of his two drivers.

Hamilton suffered a shock elimination in Q1 at Jeddah, but fought back for a points finish, while Russell has netted consecutive top-five finishes - and the work goes on away from the track, too.

“Lewis and George are making an important contribution to the overall effort, providing feedback, spending time in the simulator and working together to help push us forward,” Wolff continued.

“Now we head back to Melbourne for the first time since 2020 and will be racing in Australia for the first time in three years – that’s too long for a city and country that are so passionate about F1.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the fans and the new track layout which promises more overtaking opportunities and faster lap times.”