Wolff over the moon after second Mercedes victory: “Two races ago, we were nowhere! »

No more mistakes of the last two seasons. This time the Austrian manager is convinced: Mercedes is back in the forefront!

Published on 08/07/2024 à 14:20

Jean-Michel Desnoues

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Wolff over the moon after second Mercedes victory: “Two races ago, we were nowhere! »

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Unlike George (Russell) last week, Lewis did not benefit from any help from destiny to win. Did you think a victory on merit was possible?

Two races ago, we were nowhere! We weren't even in contention for the podium, and then it clicked. Suddenly, everything that didn't make sense made sense. This is the result of the development direction, we find the performance and we put it on the car. This results in improved lap times, which was not the case the last two years. And it's not over, because we will make improvements in Budapest (July 21) and Spa (July 28). It's true, unlike Spielberg where we took advantage of a collision (between Verstappen et Norris on your mind. Editor’s note), we have won a victory here on merit. In almost all conditions we were in the lead.

Which conditions were the most difficult?

We were really controlling the pace at the start of the race, then it started to rain. There, we saw the enormous performance of the McLaren which was simply in the comfort zone of the intermediate tire. But we came back and I think we had control. It's just a shame we had this water leak on George's car (forced to abandon. Editor’s note). It's not great, but Lewis' victory is fantastic.

Lewis struggled to contain his emotions upon arrival…

It's been so difficult since the end of 2021! We couldn't find the performance, we couldn't give the drivers a car capable of going for victory. So winning again, on the occasion of his last British Grand Prix for Mercedes, it's almost a little fairy tale.

Can this result be reproduced? In other words, is Mercedes clearly back?

That's what I feel ! Last weekend, we were far from the mark if you consider the gap we had before the collision between Max (Verstappen) and Lando (Norris). It was almost two tenths per lap, and sometimes a little more. But it was the closest gap we've had in a long time on a circuit (Red Bull Ring) which has never been very successful for us in the past. This allowed us to realize that the situation could improve. Honestly, we didn't think it would be as early as Silverstone. We were banking on Budapest or Spa.

Does a day like this make you regret Lewis leaving a little more?

In my life, I have no regrets, because you can't have them. We are adults. We make decisions and we own them. It is the most important. What I want is to finish this season in style and provide our drivers with a car that will allow them to win and the team to score points in the Manufacturers' Championship.

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