Toto Wolff believes the way Lewis Hamilton took victory in the Turkish Grand Prix and secured himself his seventh World Drivers’ Championship ‘cemented’ the Briton’s place amongst the elite sportspeople in the world.
From sixth on the grid, Hamilton drove superbly in difficult conditions to take his ninety-fourth career victory and the tenth of the year. Only twice has he failed to finish on the podium, and he has scored points in all fourteen races so far in 2020.
Wolff, the Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport and the Team Principal of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, was full of praise of Hamilton, whilst also commiserating with team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who endured one of his tougher races of the year in Turkey and failed to score a point.
“We witnessed something truly remarkable at the last race in Turkey with Lewis winning his seventh Drivers’ Championship,” said Wolff. “And the way in which he did it was spectacular.
“In general, it was a difficult weekend for us as a team and a big challenge for everyone, but Lewis did an outstanding job to come from sixth on the grid to take victory and he has cemented his position among the all-time best sportspeople in the world.
“We had some mixed fortunes as it was a tough weekend for Valtteri, but we know how resilient and strong he is. I know he will bounce back stronger in these final three races.”
“Both titles may have already been decided, but we’re still going to give it our best shot” in Bahrain
This weekend will see the first race of the final triple-header of the season, with the Bahrain International Circuit hosting its first of two races across two consecutive weekends.
Whilst Mercedes have already claimed both championships, Wolff says the team will not be taking their foot off the gas, and they will be looking to claim their thirteenth victory in what has been a tremendously dominating campaign for the German marque.
“Now we look ahead to Bahrain and returning to a familiar circuit,” he said. “It always presents an interesting challenge, because of the variation in track conditions and temperatures between the sessions.
“FP1 and FP3 are held in the warmer daytime temperatures, but FP2, qualifying and the race take place in the cooler evening climate. This makes it challenging to set up the car and gather the right information when it counts.
“We’ve enjoyed some strong performances in Bahrain in the past and it’s always a track that produces interesting racing. Both titles may have already been decided, but we’re still going to give it our best shot and we will be following the intense battle for P3 in the championship with interest.”
