The FIA finally submitted their report on the investigations of the Abu Dhabi controversy. They were looking into the last laps of the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The report states that the events that led to the last lap of the race were a ‘human error’. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had been one of the most outspoken people regarding the Abu Dhabi controversy.

When asked if he was satisfied with the report presented by FIA on the Abu Dhabi events, Wolff seemed happy and stated that he was ready to put this chapter behind him.

“They (FIA) have been very transparent in making [the report] public. It says human error. Now we need to close the chapter. It’s the 2022 championship, and it’s full-on. We need to sort out our performance and fight for another one,” said Wolff.

Toto Wolff is adamant that Mercedes cannot match their rivals

As reported by F1.com, the Mercedes team principal mentioned that the team is not sandbagging and they are behind the rivals, Red Bull and Ferrari.

The Austrian revealed it would be hard for the team to fight for a win at the first race of the season. But he stated that the season is long and there are many possibilities throughout the year.

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“Again, purely based on the assumption that we’ve seen on pace, I don’t think we can match the leaders’ performance at the moment. I personally believe there are simple solutions to get the performance back, that will start to crystallize, and it’s 23 races,” said Wolff.

It would be interesting to see at what point of the season can Mercedes start challenging Red Bull and Ferrari. They are behind the development curve and will need a couple of races to catch up to their rivals.

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But if anyone can do it, it’s Mercedes! Although we should not rule them out even if they start on the 3rd row as they could benefit if there is a scrappy start at the front.