'Totally unacceptable': F1 boss fumes amid Mercedes struggles

Having been the dominant force in Formula One since 2014, Mercedes' difficult start to the 2022 season under new rules regulations has caused significant costernation within the team.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and new recruit George Russell have had some difficulty getting as much speed out of the car as possible, with Mercedes having some issues with their adaptation to the new rules introduced for 2022.

HUGE: Red Bull's 'stratospheric' offer to Daniel Ricciardo comes to light

'GOING TO RETIRE': Daniel Ricciardo admission baffles F1 fans

Despite a podium for Hamilton in the Bahrain GP to start the season, Mercedes has found itself lacking pace compared to early title contenders Red Bull and Ferrari.

Mercedes has won the constructors championship every year since 2014, the first year F1 introduced the current era of turbo-hybrid power units.

However the early returns on the season so far have caused team principal Toto Wolff to declare it is 'not an option' for the team to remain at the pointy end of the midfield.

In an interview with RaceFans, Wolff said the team was in its most difficult position since the 2013 F1 season, the last before it began an eight-year reign of domination in the sport.

“We had a really strong run of eight years where we were leading the pack, not always, but we kind of managed our way into the lead," he said.

“This time for me feels a little bit like 2013, where we just weren’t up to the speed with the Red Bull and probably also not with the Ferraris, but we kept fighting. This is how I feel at the moment.

“It’s certainly totally unacceptable where we are in performance. We are third on the road and sometimes not even. It’s just not an option to stay where we are.”

Hamilton scored third in Bahrain after both Red Bulls suffered mechanical failures late in the race, before a woeful qualifying a week later in Saudi Arabia saw the seven-time champion start from the back of the grid.

Mercedes looking to all options amid lacklustre start to F1 season

F1 returns to Australia for the first time since 2019 this weekend, with Mercedes hoping some interim aerodynamic upgrades can solve some of their problems on track.

Last time out at Albert Park Mercedes enjoyed a one-two finish with Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, however new driver Russell understands there likely won't be a repeat of the team's last outing in Melbourne.

Russell said the team was still struggling to get on top of the 'porpoising' problem faced by many teams thanks to the new aero rules this year, which causes the Mercedes to lose rear downforce at speed.

“So, we know that if we can get the car on the ground there is a huge chunk of lap time there. But we can’t achieve at the moment. It’s all well and good saying that, but we can’t physically achieve that right now. So, we need to have a rethink," Russell said.

“It’s tricky because we’re putting all of our effort into solving this porpoising issue and it’s not allowing us to focus on other things. As a driver it’s not allowing me to focus on the driving as much.

“The fine-tuning of the balance, the set-up, we can’t really do because all of our emphasis is on solving this issue. So, we’ve got work to do.”

The Albert Park circuit has been slightly re-designed since F1's last visit in 2019.

Four DRS zones will hopefully lead to close racing at the street circuit, with the overtaking aid proving to be decisive at the first two grands prix of the season.

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.