Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted that his team is ready to capitalize on any other issues for Ferrari, after the power unit reliability issues encountered by the Maranello team at the Baku City Circuit.
This has been a highly discussed matter after Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both retired from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix yesterday, as Ferrari Team Principal admitted reliability is a big worry for the Italian side, especially taking into consideration that two other two engine failures for Ferrari-powered drivers Zhou Guanyu and Kevin Magnussen took place in Baku on Sunday:
“We said it even before coming here in Baku, reliability is always a key factor in the battle,” said the worried team boss. “As a team, we pushed a lot to develop the car during the winter, but we proved we are not yet fully reliable. There is still some work to be done. We didn’t get euphoric at the start of the season, we will not be deflated right now. The team will stay focused, work hard and make us stronger for the future.” – Mattia Binotto explained.
This was Scuderia Ferrari’s first retirement due to reliability problems in 13 years and now the Maranello team’s title chances look a lot slimmer than they did just a few days ago, not to mention a few races ago. Charles Leclerc has a deficit of 34 points to drivers’ standings leader Max Verstappen, while the result in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix helped Red Bull earn an advantage of 80 points in the constructors’ championship.
Mercedes also took advantage of Ferrari’s Baku misfortune, as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were able finished the race in P3 and P4. The Silver Arrows are just 38 points behind now, and is ready to benefit for any other problems that the Italian side may encounter in Canada and the next races:
“When your car is not super-competitive with the front guys, [it is about] maximising those points,” said Toto Wolff, who admitted that Mercedes scored a better result than he might have expected ahead of the Baku weekend – “It is important to consolidate and make sure that you are no worse than third.” – he added.
Toto Wolff then went wanted to send a warning to Scuderia Ferrari, confirmed that Mercedes will do their best to take full advantage if Ferrari continue to throw away points due to technical issues: “But equally, you see the situation at Ferrari. If they drop the ball often then we are there,” he continued.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection from Puma! Enter the online Puma Store and shop securely! And get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
While Mercedes has not impressed this season in terms of pace and performance, the Silver Arrows have been the gold standard for reliability in this first part of the campaign. Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend, they are the only team which has been able to finish all eight races with both cars.
That does not mean the team will become complacent, though, as the Mercedes boss explained the importance of making sure the cars continue to avoid problems. “You always need to be on your toes with reliability because you need to score the points and not only be fast. I mean, I feel for the Ferrari guys because they have a super-powerful engine and a good car, but in the end, losing so many points makes you lose the championship. You need to be always wary, and we are because the car could still stop at any time.” – Toto Wolff concluded.
Leave a Reply