Toto Wolff gives gloomy Mercedes forecast for the remaining 2024 F1 races

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that the remaining tracks in the 2024 Formula 1 season will offer the team limited chances of achieving a “good” result.

The German brand picked up another silver trophy when George Russell took third place, his third podium finish of the season, in a thrilling race in Azerbaijan.

However, Russell was on course to finish fifth until the controversial accident involving Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap put him on the podium.

Russell has said that Mercedes needs to understand the reason for the dramatic changes in pace that showed the potential for a race win in the second stint.

Wolff acknowledged that Russell's third place was above the result Mercedes deserved given the competitiveness of its package against the opposition.

“To get a podium finish and finish third is better than we expected, but we are not kidding ourselves when we say that in terms of pace we only managed fifth place today,” said Wolff.

“We will analyse the race and the weekend as a whole. The second half of our Grand Prix on the hard tyres was encouraging.

“George was able to control the temperatures and, after riding in his element at the start of the stint, delivered strong pace in the closing stages.”

Meanwhile, teammate Lewis Hamilton had to prepare for a challenging race after being relegated to a pit lane start due to new engine parts and setup changes.

The seven-time F1 champion complained of extreme balance problems with his W15 car, made little progress and crossed the finish line in a disappointing ninth place.

Wolff admitted that Mercedes was aware that Hamilton would struggle to move up the field due to the overtaking difficulties in Baku.

“We decided to carry out the engine change here [in Azerbaijan]”, he added.

“We knew it was going to be a miserable race because overtaking is so difficult in Baku, and that's exactly what it was.”

“As soon as you get closer, the tires overheat and then you fall back. And I think that's what happened to him. But there's still a lot to learn.”

Wolff is not hoping for the remaining F1 rounds

Mercedes has failed to maintain the momentum that saw the team win three races in four before the summer break since the season resumed last month.

With Ferrari and McLaren apparently gaining a lead at the top, Wolff fears that Mercedes will have limited chances of being competitive in the final seven races.

With seven laps remaining and 115 points behind Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, Wolff

“I think traditionally we have been fast at times in Barcelona, ​​Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps,” said the Austrian.

“What's next? Austin was good for us [last season]. Brazil was a good year for us [in 2022]. There aren't that many good ones left.”