Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is hoping to secure the second place in the constructors’ championship for his team during the upcoming two Grands Prix. The Austrian is pleased that the Silver Arrows were able to pull ahead of close rivals Red Bull and Ferrari in Las Vegas, but is apprehensive about the Grand Prix in Qatar. ‘Nothing is certain yet,’ Wolff warns.
The Mercedes team went to the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend full of confidence. After George Russell‘s victory on the street circuit in the desert city a year earlier, and McLaren’s struggles on similar circuits, the team had confidence in a good result from the start. Although McLaren – before the later disqualifications of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – was stronger than the Silver Arrows had expected, the team ultimately still ended with two podium finishes. The focus is therefore now on Qatar, and the ongoing battle with Red Bull and Ferrari for second place in the constructors’ championship.
“Only two to go,” team boss Toto Wolff begins in the Mercedes preview. “We hold the best cards for the second place in the constructors’ championship, but nothing is certain yet. Despite the fact that we were able to pull ahead of our closest rivals after Las Vegas, that race weekend also showed that everything can change very quickly. However, as a team, we did well, and the focus is now on the races in Doha and Abu Dhabi.”
Challenges in Qatar
The upcoming race weekend in Qatar is the very last sprint weekend of the season, making the Grand Prix an extra challenge. “It is therefore important that we get off to a good start in the first free practice, so that we immediately have a good basis.” However, the Austrian expects that the latter will not go without a fight. “We expect our rivals to be fast in Qatar. The warm conditions combined with the high-speed corners of the circuit are not our strongest points this year. We will try to get everything out of the car,” Wolff concludes defiantly.
