Before qualifying in Montreal, Toto Wolff said Mercedes is quite happy that the session will be on a wet track. The team leader also admitted that they made serious miscalculations while developing a new-generation car.†
Q: It looks like qualifying will be on a rain-soaked track – does that suit you?
Toto Wolff: Yes, it seems our cars are more competitive in such conditions, so we would rather qualify on a wet track.
Q: They say there was a lot of heated discussion at the meeting with the participation of the team leaders this morning, and it upset you personally…
Toto Wolff: Yes, sometimes you have to get angry. In my opinion in Baku we saw the drivers of almost all teams, including the leaders, complaining that their cars were prone to build-up, that the cars hit the bottom of the track a lot, and everything floated before their eyes because of that. By the way, the same thing happens here in Canada.
And we are all involved in political disputes about who can get an advantage. At the same time, I believe that when we talk about an aspect like the health of the riders, the leaders of some teams are taking what is happening too lightly.
Q: Do you think the situation is getting too dangerous?
Toto Wolff: In Baku she was definitely too dangerous. The straight line shaking of the undersides of the cars hitting the track was excessive, and it is repeated here.
Q: Mercedes is one of the best teams in Formula 1 history, you have won so many championships. How come you built an inefficient machine and can’t fix it?
Toto Wolff: We probably made wrong calculations when calculating the levels of mechanical grip and downforce. Our car has too low ground clearance. This needs to be resolved and we are working on it, but the work is progressing slowly. I agree that we were not expecting this and that we are not in the position we should be in.
But I think we already know what to do. The cars of other teams have a higher lean angle (the angle of the longitudinal lean of the body in relation to the surface of the track), so we have to adjust our approaches. I understand that our riders are very uncomfortable, so on the track we have to take all possible measures by working with the settings.
Source: F1 News
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