Toto Wolff said that Sunday’s race at Silverstone was “probably the best race I have been part of since joining the team in 2013!” – skirting over the almost eighty races in which he worked with current World Champion Nico Rosberg.
Sunday’s Grand Prix at Silverstone saw Lewis Hamilton take pole, lead every lap, set the fastest lap, and take the win (his fifth at Silverstone) whilst his Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who started down in ninth thanks to a grid penalty for a new gearbox, fought his way up from ninth to finish second.
This imperious, and somewhat unexpected, Mercedes 1-2 was a real shot in the arm for the team’s Championship hopes, and bring Lewis Hamilton to within one point of the lead of the Championship.
Toto was keen to congratulate Hamilton on his now record-tying five wins at Silverstone, “We are so delighted for Lewis: he prepared for the weekend in the way he knew was right for him, then came here and delivered in qualifying and the race.
“He got pole, led every lap, won the race and also set the fastest lap; it was a perfect performance.”
Bottas’ finish was a definite bonus for the Brackley-based team, who now sit 55 points clear of second placed Scuderia Ferrari. “Valtteri rounded it off for the team by climbing all the way from P9 to P2, with a little bit of good fortune along the way but applying consistent pressure on every lap of the race.
“He picked his way through the field, kept the performance in the tyres at the right time and he richly deserved his second place finish; it was a brilliant drive.”
Despite the team starting to edge a gap over the Ferraris, Wolff is still focused on what’s ahead, and wants to make sure that the Hungaroring race – the final before the Summer break – leaves the team on a high.
“We are now at the halfway point of the season with 250 points still to score. There will be a lot of talk about the championship standings but not within the team.
“We have our eyes on one thing only and that’s the next race in Hungary, so we can go into the summer break in an even stronger condition.
“Well done to everybody in Brixworth and Brackley for this result – it’s a true credit to the amazing work you have done so far this year.”
