© Sebastian Kawka for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Toto Wolff shoots down Christian Horner’s claim that Mercedes was faster than Red Bull because of a new engine, instead he says they were faster “in all respects”.
Lewis Hamilton has taken P1 in Friday’s Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, with a 0.438s advantage over Max Verstappen.
Considering Mercedes has been obviously slower than Red Bull in Mexico, this came as a surprise. Red Bull boss Christian Horner has said that this improvement stems from the fact that Mercedes has put a new Internal Combustion Engine in Lewis’ car.
“That fresh engine obviously pumping out some horsepower for them, so I think second was the best that we could hope for,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.
“And so to be up there on the front row, we are okay with that.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, however, says the improvement is not only due to the new engine.
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“No, what wasn’t just the engine, I think we were faster today in all respects,” the Austrian told Speedweek.com.
Since then Hamilton’s car has been the subject of FIA’s investigation due to his DRS exceeding the maximum distance when opened. If Mercedes is found guilty, Lewis could be disqualified from qualifying.
Regardless, Lewis will also have to serve a five-place grid penalty in the main race on Sunday due to his engine swap.
Before the rear wing infringement investigation has been launched, Wolff gave his opinion on Mercedes’ chances for the weekend.
“Our top speed is good, but whether it will be good enough to get past the other cars remains to be seen.
“From today’s perspective, I would say – we have a great starting position for the sprint, but the grand prix will probably be difficult to win,” concluded the Austrian.
