Wolff says Hamilton could have been “within a tenth or two” of pole
Toto Wolff says “the team, with Lewis, decided to take a bold decision with the set-up because we thought we could play at the front”, but “that backfired”.
After Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying, Lewis Hamilton said he was to blame for his car’s subpar performance, due to a decision he had made “against everyone’s judgment”, but team boss Toto Wolff says it was a joint decision.
“Lewis was quick all weekend,” the Austrian said after qualifying.
“The team, with Lewis, decided to take a bold decision with the set-up because we thought we could play at the front. That backfired.
“That put him on the backfoot in qualifying, the car never felt really together, we had to take a third tyre in Q2 and therefore the recovery was very good.
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“But there was a lot of pressure so finishing P6, three-tenths off pole. That is solid in terms of the time gap, but the position is not great.”
Wolff was then asked if the setup decision they had made cost the team a possible pole?
“I think what we did was compromise a bit on lap one. We felt it was important to compromise grip in the first sector and then have it later on. That made the car so tricky to drive in Turn 1 and that was it.
“Fighting for pole is a big statement but considering where Esteban is and Alonso, we maybe would have been within a tenth or two.
“But ‘would have been’ doesn’t count,” Wolff concluded.
