© Sebastian Kawka for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Toto Wolff says Mercedes ‘opened up the sea’ for Max Verstappen at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix, but concedes the faster Red Bull would have won in any scenario.
Max Verstappen managed to take the lead of the race in Turn 1 of the Mexican Grand Prix, even though he was starting from P3, while Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were starting from P1 and P2 respectively.
After the race Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was displeased with the gap that was provided for Verstappen into Turn 1.
“That shouldn’t have happened,” the Austrian told Sky Sports F1.
“We had two cars in front and seemed to open up the sea for Max to come around the outside.
“And even so, even with [Bottas’] spin afterwards, a complete loss of points, it could have been a third or fourth place. It is annoying to say the least.”
However, Wolff concedes he believes a much faster Red Bull would have won the race anyway.
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“You have to congratulate Red Bull because the pace was just on another level.
“I don’t think we could have won the race even if we had stayed ahead in the first corner because they could have driven circles around us around the pit stops.
“I think in the end, for Lewis’ championship, it was damage limitation, as for the constructors’, Valtteri spinning out at Turn 1 was very painful.
“Lewis drove a brilliant race with the equipment he was given to really hold onto P2 because Checo was fast on the Friday – that is really the highlight for me today. Now it’s just about picking ourselves up.
“I don’t know what they did wrong in qualifying and what came towards us, but that is the pace we had seen on Friday. It was worse than we had hoped but we have to take it on the chin.”
The good news is that Bottas managed to snatch the point for fastest lap from Verstappen, however he was not able to keep it for himself as he finished in P15.
“I mean, that doesn’t really console me at that stage. You see that on a single lap we have the pace in the car, or at least to take fastest lap away from Max. But still overall it is a day to forget for us.
In the end Wolff hopes Mercedes can still turn things around in the last four races.
“I hope we can break the pattern because it was a Red Bull track, but we’re going to give it all, and try to fight back. And there’s another three that are coming.”
