Mercedes cannot ‘point finger’ of blame over slow start to 2022 season, says Toto Wolff

Mercedes have looked unable to match Ferrari and Red Bull in the first few weeks of the 2022 season

Toto Wolff believes that Mercedes must look at their problems in totality to make improvements (Getty Images)

Toto Wolff has said that it is wrong to “point the finger” at specific issues with Mercedes’ new car, suggesting that there is a collective responsibility for the team’s early season struggles.

The German manufacturer, winner of the last eight Constructors’ Championship, has struggled for speed in the opening weeks of the 2022 Formula 1 season.

Mercedes appear to have failed to fully adjust to overhauled aerodynamic regulations, dealing with significant ‘porpoising’ problems and seemingly some way off consistently challenging Red Bull and Ferrari both in qualifying and on race day.

While Lewis Hamilton and George Russell currently occupy fourth and fifth in the Drivers’ Championship standings, each has spoken openly of their concerns with the new car, expressing their belief that major tweaks will be required.

Team principal Wolff has said that the focus should be on making overall improvements, rather than on the specific issues, so that Mercedes can be “pulled out of this mess”.

“I think it’s important now not to just point the finger at individual areas of the car,” Wolff said to Motorsport.com.

“We operate together as a team, and I think we have deficits overall that are bigger than an engine deficit.

“Are we among the top teams in any of these areas? No, I don’t think so. But you have to remember that this engine has helped us win eight championships in a row.

“Now we just all have to grab each other by the scruff of the neck and, with all our strength, pull ourselves out of this mess.”

Hamilton, who is seeking a record eighth title, said after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that a challenge for the overall crown felt “a long way off”.

He sits 29 points behind early front-runner Charles Leclerc, with compatriot Russell six points closer to the Ferrari driver.

Mercedes may be able to make changes ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

The F1 season continues in Melbourne after a weekend off, with practice beginning on Thursday 7 April.