Wolff: “At all costs avoid such errors from happening again”

Mercedes went from laughter to tears last weekend at the Austrian GP. While the star brand was on its way to a double on the lands of Red Bull, the German team lost the thread when it retired due to a mechanical problem Valtteri Bottas. The neutralization that followed caused a plunge Lewis Hamilton in the standings, the German manufacturer not having had the reflex to put it through the stands.

“The most important thing is to understand why an error happens. We need to review the situation and analyze it, explained the executive director of Mercedes Motorsport Toto wolff. We made a mistake. What happened was we were in control with both cars in the lead when Valtteri suddenly stopped with a hydraulic leak. The virtual safety car was deployed, we had a U-turn to react and we didn't. It is a fact. »

“This is where we lost the race. This is exactly how motorsport should work. It can be really, really cruel and everything has brutally turned against us in this race. We will immediately analyze what happened at the factory. We must at all costs prevent such errors from happening again. »

If Lewis Hamilton finally retired following a fuel pressure problem, this is not the first time that Mercedes has been at fault in terms of strategy. The four-time world champion had already avoided a great opportunity to gain time when the virtual safety car was deployed at the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.

“I’ll tell you how Lewis reacted. He told the radio: “I don't know how many of you are listening to this message at Brixworth and Brackley but this team has been the most reliable in recent years. This team had by far the fastest car in this race and it remains the best team in which I have evolved. So we will bounce back from this and I am sure we will come back stronger. "That was his way of thinking," welcomed Toto Wolff.

With third place in Sebastian Vettel clinched on the Red Bull Ring, the driver Ferrari has regained the lead of the Championship for a point ahead of Lewis Hamilton who will compete this weekend in his national Grand Prix at Silverstone where he already has five wins.

Discover the analysis of the Austrian Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2172 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version on all platforms, and on newsstands this Wednesday.