Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Toto Wolff, hailed the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team‘s stunning one-two result in Brazil on Sunday, one of their finest considering the treacherous conditions the drivers had to contend with.
“To come away with such a result in a race like that is really quite something. You simply can’t expect a 1-2 in such conditions. It’s a rare achievement and the whole team is to be congratulated for that.
“I’m very happy with the result. When you consider the circumstances, it’s maybe the best result of the season. It was a faultless drive from Lewis, with easily the best pace of the field, while Nico showed his strength to stand firm in P2.”
The Austrian also commended the performance of Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen, who looked supreme in the wet conditions.
“A word for Max too, who was very impressive today. It was the Verstappen show out there – really unbelievable driving and great entertainment.”
Wolff was quick to back the majority of the steward’s decisions on race day too, in what he felt was a difficult situation to be in, though added that he would likely not have implemented the second red flag.
“Also, for Charlie and the Stewards. It’s very difficult in these conditions and, overall, they probably made the right calls.
“I probably wouldn’t have stopped the race the last time around because the conditions hadn’t changed. But if you have to sit up there, put your neck on the line and take responsibility for the drivers’ safety, you might see it from a different perspective.”
This weekend’s result means the title battle now goes down to the final race of the season, and the Austrian knows that for a fair fight to be on the cards, the German squad must ensure that both their drivers have cars that allow them to achieve the best possible outcome.
“Now, we have a showdown in Abu Dhabi – just as Bernie would have ordered it. Our job is simple – give both drivers the cars they need to fight to the flag on track.”
