The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was a historic occasion for the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team as they clinched their seventh consecutive constructors’ title. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas took the top two podium spots at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola) securing the 2020 championship for the team.
The seventh title for the Brackley-based team marks a record-breaking feat, which was previously held by Scuderia Ferrari who claimed six consecutive constructors titles between 1999 and 2004.
“That’s going to be something to tell my grandchildren…” – Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton took the victory in the first grand prix to be held at the famous Imola circuit in fourteen years, after teammate Valtteri Bottas lost the lead on the opening laps to the Brit.
Hamilton said: “It’s very overwhelming right now. I look at this team and think of everyone back at Brackley and Brixworth, they are the unsung heroes. They are the ones grafting away, never giving up, continuing to push, elevate and innovate.
“A big congratulations to the team on a hugely deserved Constructors’ title. I’m forever grateful to everyone and so, so proud to be a part of it. To come back year on year and deliver such great performance is absolutely unbelievable. 7-time champions – that’s something I’m going to be able to tell my grandchildren one day. No team has ever achieved this and I feel honoured to be a part of breaking this record.”
“it’s still good to pick up another podium and play my part in the Constructors’ title win” – Bottas
Bottas had a difficult race after sustaining damage to his W11 during the second lap of the race after running over debris from the Sebastian Vettel – Kevin Magnussen clash. A piece of Vettel’s front wing end plate was eventually dislodged from the Finn’s car in the latter stages of the Grand Prix.
He said: “A massive congratulations to the team on winning the Constructors’ Championship! I’m really proud to be a part of this team and thankful for everyone’s hard work and dedication. It’s well deserved and I’m really happy for everyone at the track, Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart. This team keeps pushing and raising the bar and it’s inspiring to work with such a dedicated and driven group.”
“Obviously, it was a tough race for me today. The start was really good but then on lap two, out of Turn 7, there was some debris on the track. I didn’t have time to avoid it, so I aimed for the middle of the car, trying not to run over the debris with the tyres. But it caused some damage and got stuck on the car somehow, which made the car really tricky to drive and also cost a chunk of performance. I was trying as hard as I could to keep Max behind me and had to push over my limits, which led to some mistakes. It was a bit of an unlucky day for me after such a promising start, but it’s still good to pick up another podium and play my part in the Constructors’ title win.”
“Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into this behind closed doors” – Toto Wolf
Team Principal Toto Wolf was ecstatic with the team’s achievement saying: “This is an unbelievable moment, this afternoon feels like a culmination of everything. This has been an unusual season in so many ways and it makes me very proud that we’ve been able to achieve this. Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into this behind closed doors, a lot of people have made great sacrifices to achieve this, so a massive thank you to everyone in the team, here at the track and back at home in Brixwoth and Brackely. We have an amazing group of people that keeps pushing and raising the benchmark to new levels, but what stands out the most is the Camaraderie in this team and the right values at the core of it.”
