Toto Wolff tempers expectations: “One swallow doesn’t make a summer”
Follow Us
Toto Wolff
Mercedes‘ fortunes have been varied this season. While the results have more or less remained consistent, there have been many weekends that they seemed strong, only to then have their car not look nearly as good the next. Nevertheless, they are comfortably the third-best team on the grid, currently.
In Canada, Mercedes had one of the better weekends, perhaps the best one. This was their fourth time finishing 3-4 at an event, and the result would certainly be encouraging. But all of these 3-4 finishes hide some amount of truth that they have been circumstantial to some degree, and they have taken advantage of their impeccable reliability.
Their performance in Canada has once again reignited talks of them potentially challenging Red Bull and Ferrari for the wins soon. In fact, Lewis Hamilton has already said that he wants to be fighting with Red Bull and Ferrari in Silverstone. While Mercedes will hope that Hamilton’s words come true, it is no real certainty.
Also Read: Mercedes fans can breathe a sigh of relief after latest Toto Wolff revelation
Toto Wolff: “I think we need to be careful [regarding expectations]”
As reported by Motorsport, Toto Wolff feels that Mercedes must remain cautious in their expectations. People had expected Mercedes to be even stronger after Barcelona: but that was not the case in Monaco and Azerbaijan. While the results were satisfactory, the car did not look, or feel great for the drivers.
Wolff said: “One swallow doesn’t make a summer. We saw that swallow in Barcelona, but somehow it flew somewhere else.” he added that Mercedes’ performance in the practice session had been disappointing, with Lewis Hamilton labeling their setup experiments as a ‘disaster’. “I think we need to be careful. We were off the pace on Friday.”
But Mercedes looked much better in the race: “In the wet we were good, and I think that was respectable. And I think that in the race, at times, we were with the quickest cars. In the second stint, Lewis and George were almost matching the frontrunners. They were not quite, but on some laps, yes.”
“That is very encouraging to see. But we just need to be careful. There’s so much work we need to do in order to be back at the front, and we are not yet there.”
Lewis Hamilton was also hopeful for the car and for the team’s potential for the rest of the season: “I think that there’s more to come from this car. The potential is truly there if we can get the set-up right.”
Wolff was also pleased that Lewis Hamilton had finally had a weekend where his race was not compromised by events outside of his control, as there were times this season where the arrival of a safety car had hurt Hamilton during the races.
“There were a lot of races that it worked against him, where he could have scored a podium or a much better result and it was not his wrongdoing but bad luck. Seeing him now on the positive side and being on the podium without anything in a way gifted, that’s good to see.”
Right now, Mercedes certainly look competitive. And with the possibility of upgrades, it is not out of the question that they might finally compete for the win in Silverstone, which had been a bit of a turning point in the championship last season as well.
Also Read: Toto Wolff: “Mercedes will not stop working on the W13”
Stay Updated!
Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)