Wolff: “We never thought it would be possible”

The victory of Valtteri Bottas and 3nd place in Lewis Hamilton at the Japanese GP last Sunday was enough to Mercedes to secure a 6th consecutive Manufacturers' title. The star-studded stable dominates the F1 since the implementation of Power Units in 2014.

Toto wolff hard to believe in such a success even if his team has impressive firepower.

“We wanted to win races more regularly and fight for the title when we embarked on this adventure 6 or 7 years ago. Six years later, we won our 6th coronation in a row. We never thought it would be possible and I'm happy for everyone who experienced this with us. It hasn't always been easy. The team worked very hard and we went through some painful moments, but we always knew how to get back up,” commented the executive director of Mercedes Motorsport.

This title has a special value for Mercedes, which is mourning the death of Niki Lauda, ​​its former non-executive vice-president, on May 20.

“We dedicate this title to Niki. He had an important part in the project from the beginning and we still miss him terribly, assured Toto Wolff. I still think about him every day and it's still hard to believe that he is no longer with us. I still ask myself: “What would Niki say, what would he think?” ". He would probably say today: “Well done everyone for this 6th, but you have a challenge ahead of you next year”. It was his way of never being satisfied. »

Mercedes should soon celebrate a new title with Lewis Hamilton prances at the top of the championship.

Discover the analysis of the Japanese GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2238 of AUTOhebdo, available from this Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.