Wolff: “We fell short”

Before starting the 16th round of the calendar Formula 1 on the Suzuka side, the team of Toto wolff comfortably leads the constructors' championships (Mercedes is 118 points ahead of Ferrari) and drivers (34 delay units for Sebastian Vettel on Lewis Hamilton). Despite this advantageous situation, the executive director of Mercedes Motorsport remains cautious about the potential of his cars against the Ferraris, recently victims of mechanical problems at Sepang.

“I think we fell short, both in Singapore and Malaysia.”, asserts the Austrian. “We must salute the performance of Ferrari and Red Bull on these circuits. We built our accounting advantage over Ferrari during the last two rounds thanks to their collision at the start of Singapore, then with Vettel's engine problem in qualifying and finally Räikkönen's problems in the race last weekend. »

Toto Wolff is aware that the adventures experienced with the Reds have given his men a big boost. “We would have lost many points if Ferrari had followed through with their speed. There are five races left to go and we have seen how the scales can quickly tip in favor of one team or the other. We therefore need to understand our performance, as well as that of our drivers, in order to preserve our advantage until the end of the season. »

The boss of the star team also keeps a close eye on the results of Valtteri Bottas. The Finn, currently third in the drivers' standings, has discreetly went through the last appointments : third in Singapore, fifth in Malaysia. “I think he will quickly get out of this bad situation, and that he will come back even stronger than before”, believes Wolff. “We have seen some great performances from him this year, and no one can doubt his driving skills. We have a car with a very reduced window of use when the tires generate maximum grip. Lewis was able to adapt better than Valtteri. »