Toto Wolff shares his experience watching Lewis Hamilton race for a different team after the seven-time world champion’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari; catch the first sprint weekend of the season at the Chinese GP starting Friday.
Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff Says He Kept an Eye on Hamilton at Australian GP
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said it felt like he had three drivers during the Australian Grand Prix because he was closely watching Lewis Hamilton, even though Hamilton now races for Ferrari.
Hamilton left Mercedes at the end of last year after 12 seasons, during which he won six of his seven world titles. Mercedes replaced him with young Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who now races alongside George Russell. Both Russell and Antonelli had a strong start in Melbourne, finishing third and fourth.
“When I was looking at the screens, at times, it felt like we had three drivers,” Wolff said. “I was watching RUS (Russell), ANT (Antonelli), and HAM (Hamilton). Then I reminded myself, ‘HAM is actually with Ferrari now and not with us anymore.'”
Hamilton had a tough first weekend with Ferrari. He qualified eighth but finished 10th as the team struggled for speed.
Wolff added, “After so many years together, you don’t just stop caring. You still want to know how he’s doing. But on the track, he’s now our competition, and we have to beat him.”
Mercedes Must Improve to Win Races
Since Formula 1 changed its car design rules in 2022, Mercedes has struggled. The current rules will change again at the end of this season.
This year, they have started stronger than before, but Wolff admitted they still need to improve to compete with McLaren, which won in Melbourne with Lando Norris.
“It was a solid first weekend, but McLaren is very fast,” Wolff said. “If we want to win races and fight for the championship, we need to improve a lot.”
Wolff explained that both McLaren and Red Bull (whose driver Max Verstappen finished second) are better at managing their tyres, which gives them an advantage.
“We have a problem keeping the tyres at the right temperature,” he said. “The other teams do it better, so their cars stay faster for longer. Our tyres get too hot, which slows us down.”
He concluded, “I wish we were closer to them, but that’s the reality.”
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