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via Reuters

via Reuters

Singapore Grand Prix was not a race in Mercedes’ favor. Despite having a track suitable for the W13 engine on paper, neither of the Mercedes drivers could manage to grab a podium finish. Lewis Hamilton secured ninth, while his teammate George Russell ended the race at fourteenth.

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It was yet another disappointment for Mercedes fans who have had a pretty rough season so far.

What went wrong in Marina Bay for Lewis Hamilton

So, why did things go so badly with a “reasonably pacey” car? The answers come from Mercedes‘s chief technical officer, James Allison. Answering these questions during the debrief session, Allison said:

We entered the race with high hopes, a car that was quick in the dry, a car that had been reasonably quick in the tricky-ish conditions, half-wet half-dry on Saturday. And no real concerns about the pace, looking forward to a strong race.”

But sometimes in races, things don’t go your way. Sometimes in races, a small error here, a small error there and you find yourself falling away from the rhythm of what keeps the car flowing.”

Following this, Allison seemingly launched into a rather passionately poetic breakdown of an unfavorable race:

The tires need to be at the right temperature all the way through the weekend and a little mistake here, a little mistake there and suddenly you’re on the back foot and it just feels instead of having the race you expected that you are just watching a machine you’ve wound up and is now going to tick its way down to the conclusion. A machine that is not delivering you the happiness that you thought you would have, but instead is just meting out pain lap after lap after lap as you watch sort of, rather helplessly, trapped by it and the victim of it until the race reaches its conclusion.”

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These words must not be far from what went on in Hamilton’s mind during the Singapore Grand Prix. Despite Lewis Hamilton‘s cheery smile, it is heartbreaking to feel those emotions of someone behind the wheel.

Mercedes cautiously optimistic about the Japanese Grand Prix

Mercedes has not had the best season so far in 2022. With zero wins to its name, they had been keenly looking forward to the favorable Marina Bay track. However, that did not end well.

Despite the rough turn of events, Toto Wolff has not lost hope, especially with the Japanese Grand Prix coming up.

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“There are still five opportunities to score good points and end the year strongly,” said the Mercedes team boss.

While Toto Wolff admitted that Suzuka’s fast, sweeping corners will be tough on the W13, he is optimistic about their chances.

“Suzuka will give our package some challenges, and it will be hard to repeat the qualifying performance we saw in Singapore—but I hope that will be balanced out with a stronger Sunday afternoon.” said Wolff.

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Let’s hope the Japanese Grand Prix brings out the best in the Mercedes drivers. Do you think Mercedes will bag its first win at Suzuka?