© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff thinks Red Bull put all of their focus on improving single lap pace and they sacrificed their race pace in the process.
Mercedes has locked out the front row for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. However, qualifying could have ended differently, because Max Verstappen was on his way to taking pole, when he ran wide a crashed into the barrier.
Toto Wolff takes us through the exciting final moments of Qualifying.
“Formula 1 is crazy and full of surprises,” the Austrian said.
“They had a very dominant package today, the car was great and they brought the tyres into the window with a single warm-up lap and we struggled to have enough grip.
“He was up by half a second and pole was basically gone but ran wide at the last corner, kept going, stayed on it and touched the wall.
“We ended up one-two which is a big, big advantage for tomorrow but it is just crazy.”
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Another piece of good news is that Toto thinks Red Bull sacrificed their race pace in an effort to take pole.
“We think they concentrated on a single-lap, that is why they brought the tyre into the window quickly. If we have that tiny bit of an advantage tomorrow, who knows?”
Asked if he believes his team was ‘on the ropes’ in the final moments of Qualifying, Wolff said:
“That is exactly what we thought. It was important at that stage to just keep it together, continue attacking, continue attacking.
“And then Valtteri, you see with his lap, it is a big difference to be there with a front-row lockout.
“I hope we can take it into tomorrow,” concluded Mercedes’ team boss.
