In Montreal, George Russell triumphed over Lewis Hamilton, securing his place on the podium.
Watching his drivers fight over third place, Toto Wolff says he’s seen “much worse” than George Russell’s late-race battle with Lewis Hamilton in Montreal.
Russell, who had initially started in first place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, found himself in fifth position during the final laps due to expensive mistakes. He was trailing behind his teammate and Oscar Piastri.
Toto Wolff weighs in on Mercedes’ late-race battle
However, it was Russell’s chance to make a move towards the end, as he overtook Piastri and started closing the gap on Hamilton, who was using hard tyres compared to Russell’s mediums.
Russell received a message over the radio, informing him, “We are currently racing. It is crucial to bear in mind that maintaining cleanliness is a given.”
Squeezing down the inside of his Mercedes team-mate at Turn 14 on lap 68 of the 70-lap race, Russell said he knew that he could “trust” Hamilton in their battle.
Although it was certainly a tense moment for the Mercedes pit wall, Wolff claims that he has experienced even more nerve-wracking situations.
When questioned about whether it was too close, he responded to the media in Montreal, stating, “No, I have experienced much worse.”
Not only has Wolff witnessed the collisions between Russell and Hamilton, most notably at the Japanese and Qatar Grands Prix in 2023, but he has also been in charge during the infamous Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg rivalry.
The intense competition between the team-mates led Mercedes to consider benching them due to their frequent fights. Wolff expressed the need for a firm approach to effectively handle the situation.
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In Canada, Russell and Hamilton skillfully maneuvered their way to secure the third and fourth positions, marking Mercedes’ first podium finish in the Grand Prix this season and achieving their highest points total so far. Drama was successfully evaded by the duo.
Wolff stated that ever since Imola, we have been making the correct progress by implementing successful car parts, which has been a challenge for us in recent years.
It appears that we are moving in the right direction. With new parts arriving in Barcelona, I am optimistic that we can maintain this positive progress.
“We have made significant progress by introducing numerous new components, resulting in milliseconds of enhanced performance. The factory’s tremendous effort has propelled the wheel towards meaningful momentum.”
“Gradually, we have enhanced our performance little by little. Barcelona will mark another milestone, evident in the stopwatch.”
He hopes that this season will bring about more races where the win is being contested by four teams – Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari.
“It is a positive sight to observe the presence of four teams capable of competing against each other.”
“I believe we haven’t fully achieved the merit required to secure victory, but we have certainly made progress towards it.”
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming races that have tracks allowing for overtaking, as they promise to be thrilling.”
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