Toto Wolff reveals ‘two factors’ behind Mercedes’ dismal Dutch GP performance

Toto Wolff explained the factors behind Mercedes' slump in peformance at the Dutch GP.

Toto Wolff reveals ‘two factors’ behind Mercedes’ dismal Dutch GP performance

Toto Wolff and W15 (via IMAGO)

Mercedes emerged as a contender for wins and poles after the Austrian GP. This upturn in form raised the expectations within the team as the German marque returned to its pre-2022 form. However, this change in fortunes lasted for a short while as Mercedes finished barely on the fringes of the points around Zandvoort. This led Toto Wolff to reveal the factors behind the team’s massive slump at the Dutch GP.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell won three of the last four races before the start of the summer break. These wins propelled the German outfit into the championship and led to the return of Mercedes to the top step. On the contrary, the W15 is known for its unstable nature within the paddock, and this characteristic came to bite Mercedes around Zandvoort as the car was often seen understeering around corners. Consequently, it led Hamilton to get knocked out in Q2.

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On the other hand, the race was not much better than the qualifying as Russell went backward during the race. Moreover, both the cars were put on a two-stop strategy due to tire wear concerns causing them to finish seventh and eighth.

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I think it was two factors. We back-to-backed the update kit on Friday, which in the end left us with not a lot of data – the update kit that we put onto the car at Spa on Friday and then took off again. And then obviously with the lack of running, like everybody else, maybe it didn’t decide the right things for the car, so there could be a few factors in play that contributed to this non-performance.
Toto Wolff said in an interview as quoted by PlanetF1

Looking at the reaction of Toto Wolff, it is quite clear Mercedes did not have the smoothest of three-day outings during the Zandvoort weekend. The outfit was on the back foot with one thing or the other and it severely affected the overall result for the team.

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Helmut Marko and Lando Norris

Toto Wolff reckons McLaren could snatch constructor’s title away from Red Bull

At the Dutch GP, Mercedes conceded points in the constructor’s standings to several of its rivals. On the other hand, McLaren scored a huge haul of points which decreased their deficit to Red Bull by 12 points in the constructor’s standings.

McLaren's Lando Norris and Mercedes' Toto Wolff
Lando Norris and Toto Wolff (Via: Imago)

Moreover, observing the trend of the papaya car being the faster of the two rivals, the Austrian claimed that McLaren has a great chance at securing the constructor’s title.

Today's race shows that they[McLaren] are a team that can win the constructors' championship. The drivers' title is difficult, given Max's seventy point advantage. But the constructors' title is absolutely possible.
Toto Wolff said in a post-race interview

The 52-year-old admitted that by the performance at Zandvoort, McLaren can return to championship glory. However, he claimed that the driver’s championship is a lot harder to conquer due to a large points gap between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

As it stands, McLaren could take the lead in the constructor’s standings in the next few weekends. Thus, Red Bull would have to find a resolution to their peculiar problem soon as Mercedes is also anticipated to be at the sharp end in Monza.

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