Wolff: Would have, should have, could have

Mercedes has a frustrating time in Las Vegas, maybe enjoying the side show but not the racing, as their W14, known for its up and downs this season, was on the down this time.

Lewis Hamilton was eliminated from qualifying in Q2, and while George Russell qualified fourth (started third after Carlos Sainz's penalty) but a clumsy defense against Max Verstappen, earning him a five-second penalty ruined his race.

In the end Hamilton finished seventh and Russell finished eighth, on a day when Toto Wolff reckoned their race pace was good for a better result.

Quoted by Formula 1's Official Website, Wolff lamented a race of missed opportunities, he said: "Would have, should have, could have.

"We looked at the pace in free air and we had the pace of the leaders. When Lewis had no traffic that was pretty much where [Charles] Leclerc was racing in terms of lap times.

"It summarizes the season. You make your own luck, but we had more bad luck and today. Seventh, eighth – the two cars could have been on the podium, but they weren’t," he added.

Elaborating, the Austrian added: "That race summarizes our season, a quick car that is able to fight for the podium.

"George, I think once he got the penalty for the incident with Verstappen, that was pretty much game over but I think [we had] pace for the front; maybe not Max but behind. It is what it is," he lamented.

Mercedes head to the final race in Abu Dhabi with a fight on their hands, as Ferrari are looking to beat them to second in the F1 Constructors' Championships, the Scuderia only four points behind.

"I think we’re going there on pretty much equal points [with Ferrari]... then let’s race," Wolff said of the upcoming showdown with Ferrari.

"It’s all down to the last weekend. They are very quick, they’ve done a good job. I think we could have been on par today but the result shows something different, so let’s race.

"To be honest, it’s good to have P2 as a positive to finish the season, but P2, P3 for me, there is little… it doesn’t make me particularly cheery anyway.

"How do you say – it doesn’t make [this year] better for me," the Mercedes boss concluded.

The 2023 F1 season, which will end in Abu Dhabi this weekend, concluded Mercedes' second tough season in a row, as they still continue to struggle with the current era of regulations.