“You need to stay realistic,” Toto Wolff admits Mercedes will have no chance of winning a race this season
Follow Us
Mercedes' team principal Toto Wolff
Toto Wolff would have been happy but not satisfied after what transpired at the Dutch GP. After the disappointment of Spa, it was important for the Silver Arrows to strike back with some sort of response. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell struggled to fire up that W-13 during Qualifying, but the situation was drastically different a day later. The duo came alive on race day as they gave Max Verstappen a run for his money.
The Dutch GP was expected to favor Ferrari a lot more than Mercedes. But, as we have seen all season around, the Brackley outfit has found solution in times of adversity. Most of the teams on the grid had decided to go on a two stopper while Mercedes decided to spring up with a surprise and go for a one stopper. The race was going according to plan before the safety car ruined their plans.
Did Mercedes have the race pace to beat Max Verstappen? Probably not. It might have been close but once Max would have gone on to new hards in the final stint of the race, it would have been curtains for the Mercedes duo. But, it’s important to acknowledge the progress Mercedes have made as they have come within striking distance of snatch P2 from Ferrari in the constructor’s championship.
Toto Wolff opines on Mercedes’ chances going into the business end of the season
Despite the strides the team has taken, Toto Wolff believes it would be highly difficult to register a win this season. He said, “Our performance is fundamentally ingrained in the car concept as it is, but we are now understanding better how everything interacts.”
“Having said that, there will be races that are better for us and there might be some on the calendar that will be very difficult.“
“Austin is something that we discussed: it can be a very difficult one. So you need to stay realistic in my opinion.”
“We won’t be fighting for pole positions on all the other race tracks, but at least we need to really get us back to this point for next year.”
It was a topsy-turvy weekend for Mercedes. Toto Wolff can definitely take a lot of positives from this Dutch GP weekend but there’s still work to be done. Do you guys think Lewis Hamilton can pip Max Verstappen for a race win this season?
Also Read: WATCH: Shocking video of a fan disguised as a security guard throwing smoke grenades at the Dutch GP
Stay Updated!
Shubham Bajpai
(776 Articles Published)