Portuguese GP 2021: Toto Wolff aware about the threat Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari could impose in Portimao

Portuguese GP 2021: Toto Wolff aware about the threat Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari could impose in Portimao

Lewis Hamilton

After Red Bull triumphing over Mercedes in Emilia Romagna GP, it looks like their hybrid-era dominance could be majorly challenged by the likes of Red Bull, McLaren and other teams in the 2021 season. Although Lewis Hamilton drew first blood in Bahrain, but will they be able to add onto their 6 point lead in the Constructors’ Standings. 

Wolff acknowledged that the Portimao circuit is still relatively new to the F1 calendar. Last year was the first time that any driver raced at the track. Even at tracks that F1 visited after a long time, such as Imola and Turkey, the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel were familiar. 

What did Toto Wolff say? 

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Recently, the Mercedes team and Toto Wolff put out a preview for this weekend’s race. Toto Wolffe stated, “Last year was our first race in Portimão. It’s an exciting, undulating track and produced some great racing in 2020; we also saw in qualifying and the opening laps that getting the tyres working properly is not easy. 

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“We’re expecting another close fight with Red Bull, and both McLaren and Ferrari could also be in the mix too. So, let’s see how things play out in Portugal.“ 

Obviously, Red Bull will be hot on Mercedes’ tails during this weekend as well. However, the two outfits will be wary of a resurgent McLaren and Ferrari. At Bahrain, McLaren and Lando Norris surprised everyone, and Imola showed that their pace was not a flash in the pan. Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari have slowly begun to banish the demons of the 2020 season. 

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