WATCH: “The car is bad,” Toto Wolff asks Lewis Hamilton to stop complaining about poor W14 and finish the race at the Austrian GP
Lewis Hamilton slumped to P7 after a difficult race to forget at the Red Bull Ring.
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton (Credits: The Guardian)
The Austrian GP was meant to showcase Mercedes’ further improvement, maintaining its positive trajectory in development. However, the Red Bull Ring has tormented the Silver Arrows, particularly their star driver Lewis Hamilton. In combination with his lack of pace, handling issues have returned to haunt the Briton in his W14.
Hamilton accumulated several track limit violations at turn 10, was finally penalized by the stewards, and was slammed with a five-second penalty. He has continually complained about the car’s handling and drivability throughout the race on his team radio, claiming it to be tough to stay within the white lines. Toto Wolff, team principal of Mercedes, on team radio, acknowledged the car’s shortcomings, urging Hamilton to see through the race at hand.
In response to Hamilton’s constant complaints, Toto Wolff said, “Lewis, the car is bad we know, please drive it.” The Austrian urges his driver to finish the race without the constant complaints that the team is aware of and focus on driving. There will be a lengthy debrief in the Mercedes garage following the race to rectify their resurfacing handling issues.
Mercedes’ stellar run of good results comes to a halt in Austria
The Silver Arrows, ever since introducing upgrades at the Monaco GP, were consistently fighting for podiums, and their hard work saw fruition immediately with a double stand at the Spanish GP. Montreal saw Lewis Hamilton take the podium, continuing their strong run. However, all this stopped the Austrian GP as Mercedes slumped to a poor 7-8 finish.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell struggled to find their footing throughout the race. Hamilton, in particular, had a day to forget after accumulating his track limit violations and having an unpleasant experience. George Russell admitted the team had taken a step backward after being knocked out in Q2 behind a Williams.
This manifested in the race as he only made up places to finish in P8. Overall, they did manage to outperform their rivals Aston Martin in terms of points scored, as both teams faltered. This leaves them 5 points ahead of their British counterparts, as Ferrari close in with their superior performances as well. The race at Silverstone, among upcoming races, will require a strong comeback from Mercedes should they hope to catch Red Bull toward the end of the season.
In case you missed it:
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- Toto Wolff accuses Max Verstappen of ‘revenge foul’ as he RUINED Lewis Hamilton’s chances of making it into SQ2 at Austrian GP
Tanuj Sadasivam
(245 Articles Published)