Lewis Hamilton hoped to fight for the win, but events at the Dutch Grand Prix developed in such a way that this opportunity was missed. On the radio he judged the team’s actions very critically, without choosing utterances. Mercedes AMG F1 Team Principal Toto Wolff commented on race results on Sky Sports.
Question Judging by what we heard on the radio, Lewis believes the team set him up. What do you say about this? Can you tell us how the decisions were made during the race?
Toto Wolff: Here’s where to start. We are for the rider – something like a garbage can. Imagine: emotions are at the limit, because victory is close, and then you miss it. Obviously it’s hard to hold back feelings – at the same time the driver is alone in the cockpit, left to himself, and just doesn’t know what’s happening on the track.
Before that, we discussed whether it’s worth taking the risk and trying to win the race? And we decided to take a chance. Lewis’ car had five lap tires so he stayed on track to maintain his position – it was good at that point.
In the end this tactic didn’t work, but I still think it was necessary to take a chance and give Lewis a chance to fight for the win rather than just finish second or third.
Q: But at the same time you called George Russell into the pits and put soft rubber on his car – what’s the logic?
Toto Wolff: Lewis was at the forefront and in such a situation you are always faced with a difficult choice. If you call Hamilton into the pits and he loses his position to Verstappen, while George stays on track, you lose. If you invite both drivers to the pits, you also lose. All in all it was worth the risk.
Q: Why didn’t you leave them both on the track then?
Toto Wolff: Both were on roller tires and this tactic could guarantee second and third place, but we were willing to take the risk to win.
Q: But you had a fast car today. If you’ve called Lewis into the pits, do you think he can’t beat Verstappen in an open fight?
Toto Wolff: No, the Red Bull car is much faster on the straights and if we ran on the same tires we would lose. But events developed in such a way that Yuki Tsunoda stopped on the track, then drove again, then returned to the pits only to find that his seat belts had been unfastened. But he went to the track anyway, and after a semicircle his car broke down…
Q: You seem to suspect this was a conspiracy… But let’s talk about something else: isn’t it time to raise the issue of the virtual safety car rule? Don’t you think it’s unfair that you can’t make pit stops at the moment?
Toto Wolff: No, I think rules are rules. Sometimes things work in your favor, sometimes things work against you. In my opinion, the direction of the race made the decisions absolutely clear.
Q: Do you think your car will win this year’s race?
Toto Wolff: Yes, of course we will do everything we can to do this. Today we were already closer to victory, but at least the race was fun.
Q: Can you compete for second place in the Constructors’ Championship and stay ahead of Ferrari?
Toto Wolff: It will be good if we succeed, because it gives the team extra strength, but personally I am already thinking more about next year.
Source: F1 News
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