Mercedes F1 made a remarkable return to the forefront after several difficult races, signing a resounding double in Las Vegas. Toto Wolff, team principal, explains the reasons for this return to business.
“It’s been a while since we’ve done a double, so it’s a fantastic result for the team.” Wolff said. “The colder conditions on a low-grip circuit like this clearly suited us.”
“Nevertheless, everyone did a great job executing well throughout the weekend. We were fast from the start in Free 1 and continued that momentum. We put the car in a great window and It’s really nice.”
“George managed the race superbly. He held off the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc from the start and then took full control of the Grand Prix. Lewis also drove fantastically to fight his way through the field in 10th in 2nd place.”
“He showed how fast he is to secure a brilliant result for the team. Congratulations again to Max Verstappen for winning the title; he is a deserving champion and we hope to fight against him next year.”
“It would be nice if we understood these cars”
The Austrian is annoyed at not understanding exactly the reasons for these impressive performances: “It would be really good if we understood these cars, because we really crushed everyone, we dominated.”
“We could have gone faster easily. We were two seconds faster than everyone at times, and I’m really happy – the team deserves it. We worked so hard at Brackley and Brixworth and here in the racing team, so it’s a great day.”
“I think you can clearly see a correlation between our performances and our strengths. We were strong at Silverstone, at Spa and here in Las Vegas. I think it’s just about keeping the car with the tires in the optimal window. We were very, very fast.”
“We seem to be very good also when there are high speeds and when it’s a little colder with less grip, and that’s something we can be proud of, but when it’s hot, it’s there that the car doesn’t run as well.”
“Like I said, we were two seconds faster than our competitors at times when George was pushing. And for the rest of the day he just managed his pace.”
“It’s a really important result. Here in every session we were ahead. So a lot of data on the pitch will allow us to say where the sweet spot is, that’s where we need to be, and then to try to figure out how we can achieve that goal more often.”
But Mercedes has a theoretical understanding of the problem in warmer conditions: “Yeah, I think it kind of falls into the bad zone when you lose traction and it’s hot. You kind of go out the window all the time.”
“And when you lose traction, it’s the snowball effect. It’s clear that some teams really like the cold and have a lot of performance. Other teams are very strong when it’s hot like in Singapore. It will be important to find a balance for next year.”
Hamilton’s comeback ‘surpassed simulations’
Andrew Shovlin, Director of Track Engineering, recounted the race from a technical perspective. He revealed that Mercedes did not think the W15 would be comfortable in Las Vegas, and he praised the work of both drivers, George Russell throughout the weekend, and Lewis Hamilton in the race.
“We didn’t come to Las Vegas thinking this track would suit us, so it’s great to see the car performing so well. We were fast from the first lap in free practice. We knew going into those sessions that the Fast lap would be solid in qualifying, but it was very encouraging to see such race pace.
“George did an incredible job managing the race from the front, covering the safety car risks and making sure he kept his tires in better condition than the cars behind. It was another well-deserved victory and the third of his F1 career, Lewis, meanwhile, outperformed all our simulations to reach 2nd place.
“His last stint was immense, he will be frustrated that he lost too much time in traffic to allow him to fight for victory, but the double is of course a great result for the team. We now have two to go races to be contested in the season We will give everything to achieve similar success in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
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