"There is definitely hope" for a Mercedes race win in 2022, says former Honda F1 driver

Former Honda driver Jenson Button reckons Mercedes might not end the 2022 season without a race win.

During Sky Sports F1’s Any Driven Monday programme, Button admitted that while Mexico was probably the best chance for Mercedes to open their account for the season, but all hope is not lost. He said:

“I think Mexico was a great circuit for them to challenge, and they did, and they were so close to getting pole position – Lewis had an issue; George made a bit of a mistake going into the stadium section on his last run. So getting one over Red Bull in qualifying would have been a nice step, especially if both of them had been able to do that, and then they could have had a very different race."

Button added that tracks like Abu Dhabi and Brazil might not be the best for Mercedes. The track configurations are not to the car's liking unlike Mexico. However, the German outfit cannot be counted out so easily. He said:

“Mercedes doesn’t have the straight-line speed, whether it’s engine power or if it’s just efficiency of the way they, have designed their car with downforce, so when they run high downforce it’s a bit of an issue. I think Abu Dhabi in terms of the circuit, the mechanical grip you need, they do have that in the car."

He added:

"But the problem is you exit hairpins onto a long straight, which will hurt them. It will be tricky for them to fight for a victory. Smoother circuits, again, are best for them because they can get the car even lower and get that downforce package really working with the ground-effect. So there is definitely hope, but I think Mexico was probably their best chance. But they will be in the mix, definitely, over the next couple (of races).”

Mercedes have had a few double podiums this season, but a race win has eluded them. They lie second in the constructor standings, trailing Ferrai () by 37 points ahead of the Brazilian GP this weekend.

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Mercedes playing a long game - Team boss

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that the team lost a lot of time this season trying to understand the car. He added that the team and the drivers have been playing a long game, elaborating:

"We believe that we understand where the gap comes from. They will carry over some of their sweetness in the car, and we've maybe lost eight to 10 months in terms of development because we couldn't figure out what was wrong. So there's definitely a challenge."

He added:

"But we're playing the long game here, all of us. Both drivers are playing the long game, the team. The judge around the team, of performance, is not based on a single year or weekend. It's how we have been able to win championships over the long term."

The 2022 season has been the worst in a decade for Mercedes, as they're winless this season, and the chances of a win in the last two races are not too bright.