Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is aware of the missed opportunities in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Wolff’s team had a good chance to bounce back to winning ways, especially with Lewis Hamilton on pole after a long time. Mercedes could not have a better chance to beat Max Verstappen this season. The Red Bull driver has been unstoppable this year. Other than a couple of races at the beginning of the season where he finished at P2, the Dutchman won all the remaining GPs so far. Verstappen is on his way to breaking his own record of the previous year. Last year Max Verstappen won a dominating 15 races. His teammate Sergio Perez won a couple last year like he has done this year. But no other driver has even come close to the speed of Max Verstappen.
However, Lando Norris was only 3.7 seconds slower than Verstappen in Silverstone. Later in Hungary, Max finished the Sunday race with a mammoth 39 seconds faster than the other top four. That’s what Mercedes is thinking about how to close the gap between them and Max. In the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was only 2 and 4 seconds slower than Sergio Perez and Lando Norris, respectively. But what concerns Toto Wolff is the big gap between Hamilton and Verstappen. Recently in an interview with the media, including PlanetF1 and RacingNews365, Toto Wolff talked about his team bringing new upgrades in the Belgian Grand Prix.
Toto Wolff Hopes The Belgian GP Will Be A More Successful Event For Mercedes
The Mercedes boss believes that they must execute their plans better to get the best performance out of the car. However, Toto Wolff is happy that both drivers gained enough points to help Mercedes get a strong hold on the P2 position in the constructor’s championship. The Belgian Grand Prix is going to be another sprint race with relatively less practice time on a tough and long lap. But Toto Wolff says that his team will learn from their mistakes in Hungary and perform much better on the classic track of Spa-Francorchamps.
As part of their development program, Mercedes will bring new upgrades at Spa. The Mercedes boss feels it will be another small step to improve the current car. Moreover, Toto Wolff is looking forward to maximizing the outcome of the Belgian Grand Prix, irrespective of what the true pace of W14 is before heading toward the Summer break. Currently, Mercedes is enjoying a healthy 39 points lead over the third-placed Aston Martin.
Mercedes Boss Blamed The Failure Of Maximizing The Pace In Hungary
The Mercedes boss mentioned that Grand Prix last weekend was full of highs and lows. Wolff praised Hamilton for that unbelievable final lap in the Qualifying to get the pole position. He had never got a pole position since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. On the other hand, George Russell did a remarkable job on Sunday, climbing up from P18 to P6.
According to Toto Wolff, the team failed to maximize their pace across the weekend. Mercedes had a strong pace on Saturday, helping Hamilton to get to pole. Moreover, Wolff pointed out that they faced some cooling limitations across both Hamilton’s and Russell’s cars. The Brackley team must learn from their mistakes quicker if they intend to break Verstappen’s winning streak.