Toto Wolff: “We are looking forward to Monza”

Did you fear a Silverstone scenario?

The early intervention of the Safety Car forced us to push the tires very far. There was no indication of failure or loss of pressure, but we just continued to slowly lose temperature, which indicates that the rubber level is decreasing. We had Silverstone in the lead, and that's why we really dropped the pace towards the end to make sure we crossed the line without any problems.

Why this radio message in which Valtteri Bottas expresses surprise at not being able to attack his teammate?

There are no rules in place between the two drivers. They are allowed to fight. In the morning we agreed a limited number of actions on the "overtaking" engine mode and that we would try not to use it against each other, as there is always the risk of needing it against Max Verstappen or any other car later in the race. This is what we were referring to. Perhaps there was a miscommunication between him and his engineer. And that's why we repeated the instruction, because he only had one possible action left in this mode and, like Lewis, he had to save it for the end of the race.

The stable is often praised for its ability to adapt. Will the ban on “qualifying” mode from Monza be a new illustration of this?

If you had attended our debriefing this evening, you would probably have thought that we had a terrible weekend. It’s really the state of mind of this team which is always questioning itself. No culture of blame, no internal politics and a trust that has been built over the years. The latest FIA technical directive on engine modes will cost us time, but the team will do what they always do: work hard! We are looking forward to Monza.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Belgian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondent in Spa, in n°2276 by AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.