Toto Wolff pinpoints “atrocious” Japanese GP issue that derailed Mercedes
Toto Wolff explains what h🐷e thinks ruined Mercedes' race at the F1 Japanese Grand Prix.
Toto Wolff believes Mercedes could have been on for a podium finish without “an atrocious first stint” at the F1 Japanese Grand Prix.
Mercedes opted for a bold tyre strategy following an early red flag by switching 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lewis Hamilton and 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:George Russell onto the hard compound in an attempted one-stop.
But the team were ultimately forced to convert to a conventional two-stop🅘 andᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Russell could only finish seventh, two places ahead of Hamilton in ninth.
"We ended up where we started and it was just very difficult," Mܫercedes team principal Wolff told Sky F1.
"We had a second and third stint that was super quick and we would've been racing for a podium🃏 but an atrocious first ꦉstint.
"We need to find out what it was, was it too hot, were w๊e over-managing?
"I think it was the right thing to do at the beginning because it looked pretty sta🌃ble in terms of lap times.
"They were not pulling away t🔴oo much, the direct competitors, but then it suddenly dropped like two seconds a lap and two and a half second per lap. In that moment it was clear it wouldn't last.”
Although a frustrated Hamilton had called for Mercedes to “change the strategy” during the race, afterwar💃ds he admitted it would have made little difference.
"I don't know what th෴e different strategy would've beeไn, whether we stayed on the medium to start, but we still had two really terrible hard tyres to run through," the seven-time world champion said.
"The hard tyre was pretty bad, as I said, but the medium tyre was better. In hindsight, it looks like we should have had two medium tyres. But in gener🃏al, the car w🐟as pretty bad today.”
Desp🎃ite another disappointing race, Wolff is taking the positives from the weekend and insists Mercedes are going in the right direction.
“It’s better than it looks with the final result,” he said. “Also, in qualifying, there is lots tha🔥t we have learned. It will get better from here.
"We need to be quick on all circuits☂. Thereಌ is no excuse on temperature or track layouts. We need to sort it out.
“That’s why I said this is live testing for us. We’ve changed thi🐬ngs massively. The c🧔ar is becoming quicker.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewi✅s tells the stories of the people who matter in the♏ sport.
