Toto Wolff outlines ‘missed opportunity’ for Lewis Hamilton at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Wolff rued the failure to bring Hamilton in during a Virtual Safety Car period
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Toto Wolff believes that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a “reflection” of where Mercedes “currently stand”, but admitted to a missed opportunity for Lewis Hamlton during the race.
George Russell finished fifth in Jeddah, behind a lead quartet comprised of Red Bull and Ferrari drivers, while Hamilton could only fight his way up to tenth after starting in 15th place on the grid.
The German team, who have won the last eight Constructors’ Championships, continue to lack the pace of the early 2022 Formula 1 front-runners after the offseason changes to aerodynamic regulations.
Russell’s fifth-place was reason for encouragement for Wolff, who believes that without an incident Mercedes are currently unable to challenge the fastest cars in the field.
“Today’s race was the reflection of where we currently stand,” Wolff explained.
“The performance gaps seemed to be similar in qualifying and the race, and clearly, there is a lot of work for us to do in order to get into the fight at the front.
“George managed his race well and scored the maximum we could have hoped for today without any incidents ahead of him.”
As for Hamilton, a five-place climb at least ensured one point was taken from an otherwise tough weekend for the British driver, who endured his worst qualifying performance in more than a decade.
The seven-time world champion might have finished higher than tenth were it not for a late mishap in Mercedes’ strategy.
Having started on hard tyres, a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period appeared to offer an ideal chance for Hamilton to make his pit stop without conceding significant time.
However a pit-lane incident meant the 37-year-old felt it was unwise to come in, delaying his entry until after racing had resumed.
Wolff reflected afterwards that the decision had probably caused Hamilton to finish a couple of places lower.
The Mercedes team principal outlined: “For Lewis, it was always going to be a difficult afternoon from P15.
“The first Safety Car came too early to run to the end on medium, so we stayed out like other cars that started on Hard; then we missed the opportunity to box just before the pit lane closed under the VSC, which cost us a couple of positions.
“The overall picture is sobering, and it’s clear that we need to continue working hard if we wish to deliver a stronger performance in Melbourne.”
The F1 season pauses for a weekend before resuming with the Australian Grand Prix on 10 April.
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