Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff reflects on a ‘catastrophic’ British GP. The team ultimately left with just one World Championship point, despite drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli having qualified relatively well. Wolff attributes the lack of results to strategic blunders, ranging from wrong choices to bad luck and miscommunication. Particularly, the pit stops and the choices for slicks or rain tyres turned out completely wrong.
The problems began even before the lights went out. George Russell decided to switch to slicks during the formation lap – a gamble that clearly backfired when it started pouring in the tenth lap. Russell fought his way back, but ultimately did not get further than tenth place, good for just one measly World Championship point. Toto Wolff was clear: “The first decision – whether it came from the driver or from the pit wall – was just bad. After that, it actually went from bad to worse. We should have kept Russell out and opted for a split strategy with Kimi (Antonelli). Then we could have at least beaten Nico Hulkenberg.” The latter took advantage of the chaos and claimed his very first podium in Formula 1. “I don’t want to undermine Hulkenberg’s performance, he did fantastic,” Wolff added.
Mercedes’ later tyre choices also proved disastrous. “The second stop was probably even worse than the first,” Wolff lamented. “That really did us in. I wouldn’t say it was a snowball effect; it was more one action, a form of miscommunication between the drivers and the pit wall,” the Austrian clarified. “In retrospect, we all had a serious discussion about it, and everyone acknowledges that the first decision was actually catastrophic.”
Daring Strategy
When asked whether Mercedes should reconsider its daring strategies and be more cautious in the future, Wolff responded: “I think we’ve made some brave decisions in the past that have won us races. But today’s decisions were not brave – they were simply a total misjudgment of the situation. There was nothing positive to take from it. It was just bad.”
Kimi Antonelli’s retirement completed the drama for Mercedes. The young Italian had to end his race prematurely after Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar collided with his car. “You can’t see anything in the rain,” Wolff explained. “One hit the other because he didn’t see him – that can happen,” he said about the incident. “But Antonelli is obviously unhappy with how his race went, and that’s mainly the team’s fault.”
