Formula 1

Wolff relieved to finally take Mercedes one-two finish in 2017

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Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas - podium - Canadian GP 2017. Credit: Octane Photographic Ltd

Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport and Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team Boss Toto Wolff, praised the team and his drivers for an amazing performance at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.

The German squad have struggled with tyre management at a number of races this season, with the last round in Monaco being a particularly difficult one for the Brackley based squad. But, drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas came back fighting in Montreal, with a dominant one-two finish, and Wolff is proud of what they have been able to achieve, in such a short turnaround.

“That feels absolutely great. We have finally taken a 1-2 finish and done so at a track that we expected would be difficult for us – and which certainly was for us last year.

“Lewis delivered a stellar performance this weekend: a pole lap that was almost scary when you watch the on-board, then a totally dominant race. Likewise, Valtteri struggled with the car yesterday but he got everything right today to complete a perfect day for our team.

“Ever since Monaco, the guys and girls in the factory have been flat out. There was no weekend and people working 24/7 to better understand our problems – credit goes to so many people.”

The Austrian believes the strength they have at Mercedes could clearly be seen in the way they fought back this weekend, and although Wolff is confident they have now wiped out their previous gremlins, the German squad will still be taking each race at a time, to ensure they can perform to the highest standard at every grand prix weekend.

“So to bounce back in this way shows the calibre of the group that we have in the team. However, the secret to this weekend was to keep the ball flat, stay calm, analyse our problems and come up with solutions.

“So this is the time to keep our feet on the ground, keep working hard and take it one race at a time.

“We saw some encouraging signs today but we need to work in just the same way to translate them into more success in Baku.”

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