© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Despite Lewis Hamilton’s spectacular win at the Russian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff says Mercedes is not doing the best job possible at the moment.
Lewis Hamilton managed to win the Russian Grand Prix and regain the lead in the championship. However, with Max Verstappen finishing in P2, after taking on a fresh engine and starting from the back of the grid, things are not looking ideal for Mercedes.
The Dutch driver now has a power unit that should last until the end of the season, while Hamilton might need another unit, which means he will have to start one of the next seven races from the back of the grid.
Toto Wolff thinks Mercedes hasn’t done enough to capitalise on their ‘strong tracks’ – Monza and Sochi.
“In a way, we’re not maximising our points scoring, and the same today,” the Austrian said.
“I think quali was all decisive. Valtteri going back [after an engine penalty] we knew was difficult, and we ended up with a first and fifth, and that is very good, no doubt about that, and it’s Lewis’s 100th victory.
“But Max recovered in a spectacular form, and that is not good for the championship.
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“So in a nutshell, we just need to continue to be really aggressive in how we approach this season, not be defensive, but just move forward, in order to score these big points.
“Because neither us nor the others are really good in maximising the points at the moment.”
When it comes to the next few races, Wolff doesn’t want to think in terms of ‘Mercedes tracks’ and ‘Red Bull tracks’, because the 2021 rule changes have shaken up the usual status quo.
“I stopped trying to anticipate whether it’s historically a strong race for us, because everything with the new regulations, everything changes, so [it] has changed so much.
“Definitely, we knew that Monza and Sochi would be coming more towards us. And the reality is we are where we are, and this is the points gap and I doubt that any of the two teams will make massive swings up or down.
“It’s just about, really, to continue to do the best possible job,” concluded Mercedes’ team boss.
