Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff insists he is proud of his squad’s 2022 campaign, despite struggling for form throughout much of the year.
Mercedes entered the season as the reigning Constructors’ champions but was unable to compete with front-runners Red Bull and Ferrari at the beginning of the campaign.
Although it has improved its form across the season, it is still yet to secure a race victory with just two grands prix remaining.
Last time out in Mexico, it was in contention for the race victory before losing out to Max Verstappen, who took his 14th win of a dominant 2022 campaign.
“We didn’t optimise every opportunity in Mexico, but we still managed to score good points with Lewis’s great drive to the podium and George’s P4 finish,” Wolff said.
“It was encouraging to be in the fight for the win, showing how far we’ve come since the start of the year. While we’re always aiming for the top spot, we should be proud of that progress and we’re aiming to keep it going through the end of the year and into 2023.”
The Brackley-based squad returns to Brazil 12 months on from Lewis Hamilton’s impressive weekend that saw him win the race despite being disqualified from qualifying.
“Brazil kicks off the final double-header of the season,” Wolff added, looking ahead to the upcoming weekend.“Interlagos is an iconic track and the scene of so many special F1 moments, including Lewis’s spectacular performance last year in the Sprint and the race.
“We’re proud to be coming back to Brazil, with Lewis having been made an honorary citizen this week and having had such good memories there in the past.
“On paper, it shouldn’t be quite as strong a circuit for us as Mexico, but regardless, we want to keep up our momentum from recent races. So, we will keep working hard to hopefully be in the mix once again.”
