Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team Executive Director Toto Wolff is looking at the positives from the team’s tumultuous Mexican Grand Prix, having seen Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton take the World Championship and Valtteri Bottas take second place in the race.
Hamilton concluded a season-long battle with Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, clinching the title with two races to go. The pair have been engaged in a bitter fight for the title since the first race, with the pair even making season-defining contact in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Controversial contact was made once again in the Mexican Grand Prix, with Vettel colliding with Hamilton’s rear wheel on the exit of turn three – resulting in a broken front wing for the German and a puncture for the Brit. This saw them both fall down the order and, following a tense race-long battle to the front for both drivers, resulted in Vettel not scoring the necessary points to continue the title fight. This handed the title to Hamilton – his fourth career title, putting him level with Vettel.
Speaking of the season – which also saw Mercedes take the Constructor’s title – Wolff said that there have been none harder than this.
“This was the hardest championship ever, but it was also extremely well deserved.
“We had quite some up and downs this season with the new cars and tyres. We had to accept the fact that this is the reality now, and to progress was very difficult for the team and really took the maximum out of us.
“Lewis probably showed the best and most constant performance of his entire career this season, he has made a step forward in every respect and there is no doubt whatsoever that today the right man was crowned world champion today.
“While the result was good, the race was not what we had hoped for. But I’d like to just look at the positives today and not dig into a controversy that is not necessary at this stage – Lewis won the championship!”
