Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff Reflects on British Grand Prix Triumph, Hints at Renewed Contention
As the dust settles on the British Grand Prix, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has opened up about the team’s remarkable turnaround in competitiveness, which culminated in Lewis Hamilton’s thrilling victory at Silverstone. The win marked Hamilton’s record ninth success on home soil and Mercedes’ second successive victory in the ground effect era, following George Russell’s win in Austria last weekend.
Wolff confessed that he wasn’t expecting the team to be in a position to win the British Grand Prix, despite “hints of improvement in the right direction.” The German squad’s upturn in form was evident at the Red Bull Ring, but Wolff revealed that he didn’t anticipate this level of competitiveness at Silverstone.
“Last weekend we weren’t far off,” Wolff said, referencing Russell’s win in Austria. “When you look at the gap that we had before the crash, it was maybe two-tenths a lap, a bit more. And that is the closest we’ve been for a long time, on a track that we didn’t like so much in the past. And that kind of gave us hints that it could be getting much better.”
Wolff agreed with Russell’s assessment that Mercedes is now back in contention, citing the team’s renewed potential and Hamilton’s latest win arriving on pure speed in a battle against McLaren and Red Bull. The Mercedes boss hailed Hamilton’s dream return to the top step, which marked the Briton’s first win since December 2021.
“I think that it was so difficult over the last, over the last two years that we couldn’t really find performance,” Wolff highlighted. “We couldn’t give the drivers a car that enabled them to go for the victories. And to make him [Lewis] win again, the British Grand Prix, in his last race for Mercedes here, is almost like a, like a little fairytale. We couldn’t have scripted it better.”
Despite Mercedes’ breakthrough, Wolff denied harbouring regrets about the team taking this long to make an impact with the current rules. The team principal is focused on building on this momentum, targeting more wins in 2024 and finishing the current season on a high.
“In my life, I have no regrets, because you cannot have regrets, we are adults, we take decisions, we go for it,” Wolff explained. “That’s the most important. So we’ve got to finish this season on a high, provide them with a car that enables them to win, the team to score on various points in the Constructors’ Championship, and that is what it is.”
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