Norbert Haug: Lewis is unlikely to lose motivation

Norbert Haug was head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport for 22 years, but Toto Wolff became his successor almost a decade ago. Nevertheless, he closely follows everything that happens in racing, especially in Formula 1 and the DTM Touring Car Championship.

In an interview with Speedweek, Haug did not directly criticize her or her current management, speaking of the Stuttgart group’s factory team, but under Wolff she achieved impressive success. This season, however, the situation has changed.

“I can only try to diagnose from the outside,” Haug noted. – The Mercedes W13 is very different from the cars of its rivals, the radiators on it are placed differently. If the team manages to eliminate the problems associated with high-speed build-up, the situation could change very quickly.

When Lewis Hamilton was driven over two-thirds of the distance at Imola, it was a very worrying sign. This may also have been influenced by changes in the temperature of the asphalt. George Russell’s fourth place is an excellent result, but it does not reflect the real state of affairs in the team, which is more in line with Hamilton’s result. Now they have to take it easy.

Never give up the fight. If you’re in 17th place, you should try to get to 15th or above, no matter how stupid it sounds. But you definitely have to fight, you can’t give up everything and relax.

I still thought Mercedes could untangle this knot faster. Maybe the picture will change in the next races. Of course it is more difficult to earn back with a limited budget, as the time spent working in the wind tunnel is also limited. Moreover, everyone is now having a hard time due to high inflation.

I think Mercedes failed with the new car, and now we have to salvage what can be salvaged. I don’t foresee this happening right away, but I’m not saying it’s impossible. The important thing now is that the leader continues to lead and support the team.

You should not criticize her openly, you should find good words in the communication with the Mercedes board, with the press, with partners. There should be no accusations, you just have to keep working and solving problems gradually.”

Haug once worked for a long time with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren-Mercedes and has no doubts about his motivation even in the current situation: “I don’t think Lewis can lose interest. He missed the title twice: in 2007, in his debut season in Formula 1 because of a mistake our team made in Shanghai, and in 2021 because of bad FIA decisions. If it weren’t for that, he would now have nine titles.

These are the facts, although I’m not saying that Max Verstappen didn’t deserve the title. But Lewis drives in such a way that he could become a nine-time world champion. Now he’s aiming for the eighth title – I have no doubt he still wants it.

It’s unlikely Lewis can lose motivation, I’m not worried about that. Russell manages to squeeze the most out of the car, plus he took advantage of the failures of rivals who should have ended up ahead of him. But for that it was necessary to be in the right place at the right time, which he succeeded perfectly.

Now Formula 1 is going through a generational change. I’m not just talking about Verstappen, but Russell and Lando Norris, who is doing great, just like Leclerc – as long as Charles doesn’t make mistakes often, like he did at Imola.

After the Melbourne race I was ready to bet on Ferrari in their confrontation with Red Bull Racing, but after Imola the picture has completely changed again, so we’ll see how further events develop.