Mercedes is suddenly back
‘What year are we in?’ This is the question we all asked ourselves today during the first stint of the British Grand Prix when the Mercedes cars of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton extended their lead while Max Verstappen struggled in third position, even giving way to Lando Norris at the Silverstone circuit.
The rain gave wings to the McLaren cars, but at Mercedes they did not lose heart. On one hand, a reliability issue forced George Russell to retire, while on the other, Lewis Hamilton hit the target on the best possible stage, ending a drought that lasted since Jeddah 2021 with a victory worth more than a season. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, speaking to Sky Sport at the end of the British Grand Prix, did not hide the fact that suddenly Mercedes, previously described as a ‘fourth-rate team’ by Cesare Fiorio a few months ago, has returned to being the perfect machine (intended as a team, not just the car) that dominated the turbo-hybrid era from 2014 to 2020.
“Five races ago we hadn’t even achieved a podium, and today we’ve won two consecutive races, with the last one deserved where we were the fastest in every condition,” team principal Toto Wolff pointed out – “Today we had a race like three years ago, with two consecutive pit stops stopping both drivers from slicks to intermediates, fast and without problems, a strategy that worked with a pit stop before Lano Norris’s.” – he added.
“The car is much faster and the team has emerged from complex moments and we’ve always believed we could return to winning. With Russell, we had a cooling issue. We had hoped it could hold for 10 laps, but it didn’t. It was a small detail. World Championship chase? I’m a man of probabilities, I’ve always been in the investment world, but right now I don’t think we can consider the championship. In Formula 1, though, it’s possible that with two cars pushing, like today, we could defy the odds and logic in the end. Now Max sees that Mercedes is going strong, but I don’t know what he thought. Today he saw it from behind, and maybe he thought about Mercedes for 20 laps. We are in a situation where we have Kimi waiting, he did an exceptional job yesterday, and it’s great to have more solutions than just one. This is a gift we have given to Lewis and that Lewis has given to us. It’s a beautiful story that ends in his last home GP with us at Silverstone. I don’t think his choice to go to Ferrari is sad, people make decisions, but we are always calm about the direction the team takes and the one the driver takes. We are adults and do everything to have a fast car for Lewis and George until the end of the season, but it is true that we leave Ferrari with a great driver, a superstar. I’m sure Ferrari will achieve a situation they’ve been hoping for.” – Toto Wolff concluded at the end of the British Grand Prix.
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