Toto Wolff says 'bruising' Brazilian Grand Prix sprint revealed major Mercedes issue

Wolff, Mercedes, Austria, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

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Wolff pinpoints major Mercedes ISSUE after 'bruising' Brazil sprint

Mercedes had made a promising start to the Brazil sprint but were unable to sustain it

Cal Gaunt

Sunday 5 November 2023 10:27

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was left extremely disappointed on what was a 'bruising' Saturday for Mercedes, after a promising start to the sprint gave way to being overtaken on several occasions.

Both Silver Arrows cars, particularly George Russell, made strong initial progress in the race with Russell moving ahead of pole-sitter Lando Norris and into second place, after the McLaren man was overtaken by eventual winner Max Verstappen at the first turn.

However, the early momentum dissipated as the Mercedes W14 struggled to gain ground on Interlagos' lengthy straights. As the race unfolded, both Russell and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton found themselves vulnerable to their rivals. Norris passed Russell, and Hamilton had to defend against multiple challengers.

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Hamilton finished P7 with Russell in fourth, trailing third-placed Sergio Perez by 12.262 seconds.

Toto Wolff says Mercedes are suffering from a balance issue in Brazil

Mercedes' balance issues continued after George Russell struggled last time out in Mexico

Lewis Hamilton was overtaken by several rivals including AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda in the sprint

Wolff: It's been a bruising day

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Wolff lamented their sprint performance and indicated that the car's balance may have been off.

“I think we pushed very hard at the beginning," he said. "The car was not balanced right and then you put in some sliding and it just killed the tyres. It’s what happened to George in Mexico.

“I think we a little bit too weak of a rear end and then it’s balancing them on the knife’s edge, trying to hold onto the pace. It’s maybe something we need to learn for tomorrow, but a bruising day.

“I don’t think that there is a major screw you can turn and everything is fixed. Everything went against us today, we need to really scratch our heads hard, what we can do for tomorrow and improve. I don’t care about the past. Today wasn’t good.”