Toto Wolff circumspect: “There is no miracle cure”

Toto wolff doesn't have a smile. The executive director of Mercedes Motorsport analyzed the behavior of its two men, Valtteri Bottas et Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix and drew pragmatic conclusions.

“Above all, we must ask ourselves where it is possible to progress, believes the Austrian. When I look at this race, I see a lot of deficiencies on our side. We are a strong team, but with many obvious deficits that prevent us from achieving the desired performance. » The way in which Lewis Hamilton was dominated by Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) would therefore arise from internal parameters, and not from circumstances external to the Étoile brand.

Tough day today, however 2nd is still something to be proud of. To all the fans supporting across the world, thank you so much, I love you guys. We will always keep pushing and now have our sights on Monza. @MercedesAMGF1 #TeamLH #nevergiveup #F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/FfiacpVH5z

- Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) August 26, 2018

“It’s not someone else who performs better than us, assures Toto Wolff, a way of contesting the renewed form of Ferrari. Our weak points at the moment are traction and cornering speed. Of all the leading teams, we were the one who heated the tires the most”, evidenced by the traces of wear on the rear axle of the Mercedes.

The boss of the Silver Arrows, however, ends up recognizing that « Ferraris have an edge on power, we were able to see this in various areas of straight lines. If you're not on point in pulling and you're ahead in power, then you have what happened in the first round. » Although he started from pole, Les Hamilton was caught by Sebastian Vettel on the Kemmel straight.

That first lap though…

FOUR wide down to Les Combes!#BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ANdHoZqDzC

—Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) August 26, 2018

These two areas could have a major role on some tracks this fall, “such as Singapore (consisting of 23 mostly slow turns) or Mexico (featuring the longest straight of the season).” Mercedes have rarely been at the party in Singapore, even during their dominance in the early years of the V6 Turbo Hybrid era.

More than reliability, it is performance which will be the key element at the end of the season. “There is no miracle cure. We are not going to find performance that will suddenly give us three tenths of the car or the engine. It’s a race for performance and that’s what will make the difference between winning and losing the championship.  »

“When you start first and finish second it always hurts” #BelgianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Rygoo7qLx6

- Formula 1 (@ F1) August 26, 2018

In addition to the mechanical aspect, the Drivers' title could be disrupted by the use of team instructions. Both at Ferrari and Mercedes, the teammates of the Vettel-Hamilton duo are left behind and should not aim for the crown. Toto Wolff, however, assures that the Valtteri Bottas 87 points behind Lewis Hamilton do not change anything in his egalitarian treatment, for the moment…

“I hate doing this. It goes completely against my competitive instincts. We try to be neutral for our two drivers. » Before explaining: “Let’s see how Monza (Italy, September 1-2) unfolds and then we will analyze whether we need to transfer all our forces behind one of our men. »