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Wolff: Barcelona win after Silverstone woes shows the 'strength' of Mercedes

Published on 18 Aug 2020 17:35
3
By: Coilin Higgins

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said the win for the team in Barcelona after the struggles in Silverstone a week earlier shows the 'strength' of the staff in the team.

The team struggled with tyre blistering during the recent 70th Anniversary Grand Prix due to the high temperatures on the circuit and there was fears Mercedes may suffer in similar conditions in Barcelona.

However, Lewis Hamilton dominated Sunday's Grand Prix to take the win, lapping every driver up to third place in the process.

Wolff noted that it showed the strength of the team, being able to turn around such a performance deficit in less than a week.

"I think that what makes me the most happy is that after a difficult weekend at Silverstone on very hot tarmac, we have been able to recover, pick the right conclusions and win in the same conditions," Wolff commented.

"That comes down to the great work that's been done in the factory. From the vehicle dynamics team to the simulation, I mean everybody from the engineering side that was involved, it shows the strength of the team."

Wolff shows respect for fellow team boss Horner

Wolff also spoke about his conversation after the race with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, admitting he respects his rival for the job he has done with the team.

Wolff jokingly gloated at Horner and the team after the race but engaged in a deep conversation with the Red Bull team principal over the performances of their respective teams and the various strategies throughout the race.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen once again managed to finish second and split the two Mercedes of Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas, as Bottas dropped down the order after a poor getaway off the grid at the start of the race.

"I said to Christian 'bring on the heat!'," Wolff exclaimed.

"When you have such a great win, you can properly rub it in. There is still a rivalry there but I respect him. He has done a great job over the fifteen years that he has been in the sport."

F1 News Toto Wolff Christian Horner Mercedes Red Bull Racing

Replies (3)

ajpennypacker

Posts: 2,475
The last 6 years of utter domination, the fact that they only lose races when they have strategic blunders and others have perfect races... that's the strength. The dominance has never been at risk this year. Toto can keep underselling it, but Mercedes seems more dominant this year than any other. The only difference is that Rosberg would have never finished the championship behind a Ferrari or a Red Bull. Bottas is on a different level
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- Aug 18 2020 - 22:41
- Snooky
  
  Posts: 121
  Bottas is meant to be on a different level, that’s the point. They don’t want another year of Hamilton vs Rosberg stress. They want harmony within the team. Bottas is there to pick up the pieces if Hamilton has a bad day like the first race, merc haven’t got him there to win the drivers championship while Hamilton still drives for them, and possibly even if he leave.
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  Aug 19 2020 - 08:35
Pistonhead

Posts: 556
I'm ready for another team to come through - I admire the brilliance and consistency but variety, as they say, is the spice of life - I want to see a McLaren win a race, RP win a race, Renault to come back to where they once reigned - I can't wait for the for the new rules to kick in - to start watching the GP build up, practice, qualifying, race ....and still not knowing who's going to win - we really need this now. Credit to the rights holders, they are pushing things in that direction. My last Santa wish is for the rights holders to put Ferrari in their place - they are no longer the dominant force and haven't been so since Schumacher retired, , make it a more level playing field by scrapping the 'appearance fee' Ferrari get paid for just entering the competition. Ludicrous and senseless. Stop it.
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- Aug 19 2020 - 21:14