“We were nowhere,” Toto Wolff admits Mercedes didn’t expect George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to finish 1-2 at Belgian GP

George Russell scored the race victory after dragging the hard compounds for over 34 laps.

“We were nowhere,” Toto Wolff admits Mercedes didn’t expect George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to finish 1-2 at Belgian GP

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Toto Wolff (VIa: Imago)

Mercedes had been facing some issues at the Belgian GP and were not expecting such an impressive end to the race. George Russell won the race with Lewis Hamilton closely following the former in second. Hence, the team scored a highly impressive one-two in Belgium before the summer break. Toto Wolff pointed out his thoughts regarding the sublime performance from the Silver Arrows.

Toto Wolff recalled the beginning of the Belgian GP and how the team wasn’t expecting to score such great results. However, Brackley worked hard on the setup and hoped for the best results for the main race.

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Additionally, the team principal noted that Mercedes’ W15 challenger was ‘clearly ahead’ of the rivals on the track.

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We were nowhere - we changed a few things on the car and today we were clearly ahead of everyone.
Toto Wolff said during the post-race interview.

Apart from this, the 52-year-old reflected on the unconventional one-stop strategy masterclass from George Russell. Wolff noted that the team believed a one-stop strategy victory to be impossible. However, the team would still have to succumb to a P5 finish towards the end and hence decided to continue on a one-stop strategy.

We didn't think it was possible [to one-stop] but we were going to finish fifth in both scenarios so said let's stay out..
Toto Wolff added.
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Lewis Hamilton and George Russell (via IMAGO, X/FiftyBucksVT, screenshot)

Toto Wolff claimed Mercedes faced some ‘mechanical issue’ at Belgian GP

Mercedes’ disappointing performance from the W15 challenger has witnessed a great upturn mid-way through the 2024 season. The Belgian GP showcased great performance from the car as it was the fastest on the grid. Regardless, Toto Wolff highlighted some problems from the challenger that the team would work on over the summer break.

Toto Wolff
Toto Wolff (via IMAGO)

Wolff pointed out that the team changed the floor on the W15 despite it not being a problem. Hence, there was some ‘mechanical’ problem with the car which would be addressed over the summer break. Additionally, the chassis will be fitted with a new floor at the Dutch GP.

We changed the floor, but I don't think it was the floor. We tripped over ourselves with something mechanical. We will have the new floor in Zandvoort
Toto Wolff said after the Belgian GP

Mercedes has started to gain control over their position in the constructors championship. Hence, Brackley could continue to close the gap with Ferrari and move up the pecking order. The 2024 season will put forth highly exciting contingencies as the competition continues to bunch up at the forefront.

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