Formula 1 News: Mercedes Cautiously Optimistic Despite Spanish Grand Prix Deficit
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has downplayed the significance of Lewis Hamilton’s 15-second deficit to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris at the Spanish Grand Prix, suggesting that the final result does not accurately reflect the team’s potential. Hamilton secured his first non-sprint podium of the season, finishing third behind the duo, but Wolff believes that the gap can be bridged with further improvements.
The Mercedes driver’s podium finish came after a competitive outing for the German manufacturer, with the team locking out the second row of the grid and finishing third and fourth in the race ahead of Ferrari. However, Wolff acknowledges that Red Bull and McLaren are currently in a class of their own, with the McLaren looking particularly quick.
“Lewis backed off in the closing stages, as he was unable to challenge the cars ahead and was safe from behind,” Wolff explained. “If you look at where Lewis was, 15 seconds behind the leaders while taking the pace out of the end, maybe call that 10 seconds – that’s much closer.”
The Formula 1 standings show that Red Bull and McLaren are setting the benchmark, with Wolff estimating that the gap between Mercedes and the front-runners is around three-tenths of a second. He remains cautiously optimistic, believing that bridging this gap could see Mercedes racing for victory.
“We’ll be able to fight,” Wolff said. “If we’re able to bridge that, bearing in mind they also put upgrades on the car, I think, then we could be racing for victory. But that’s not on the hands yet.”
Mercedes will be looking to close the gap at the next Formula 1 event, the Canadian Grand Prix, where Wolff believes the conditions could play to their advantage. “Montreal, with the conditions, yeah, we could have won,” he said. “But probably we surprised ourselves that we could, and that’s why we dropped the ball there.”
As the Formula 1 calendar moves on, Mercedes will be working tirelessly to bridge the gap and challenge Red Bull and McLaren for the top spot. Stay up-to-date with the latest Formula 1 news, including Formula 1 standings, to see how the championship unfolds.
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