Mercedes F1 News: Toto Wolff makes BRUTAL claim after a lacklustre Imola GP

Mercedes

Wolff makes BRUTAL Mercedes claim after a lacklustre Imola GP

Toto Wolff has provided a frank response to Mercedes' P6 and P7 result in Imola.

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 21 May 2024 13:57

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Toto Wolff has provided a brutal assessment of Mercedes’ performance at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

The German team brought new updates to Imola, which included a revised floor and brake ducts, in addition to a new rear wing.

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However, Mercedes failed to get ahead of their rivals McLaren and Ferrari, who have also produced updates in recent races.

McLaren, who race with a Mercedes engine, managed to challenge Max Verstappen for the victory during the closing laps of the race, although the champion managed to keep Lando Norris at bay.

Mercedes brought new updates to their car in Imola

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen shared the podium in Imola

Will Mercedes catch their rivals?

Mercedes demonstrated a lacklustre performance at Imola, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finishing sixth and seventh respectively, with both drivers stating the car was in ‘no-man’s land’.

Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the year to join Ferrari, where he will hope to win a record-breaking eighth world title.

The champion has not won a race with Mercedes since Saudi Arabia in 2021, and will be looking to embrace a fresh challenge at the Scuderia.

Team principal Wolff seemed frustrated at Mercedes’ pace in Imola, making a brutal admission about their performance.

Toto Wolff was angered by Mercedes' pace

"You can't see it on the result that we are making steps with where we want the car to be,” Wolff told Sky Sports after the race.

"We are 30+ seconds off the quickest guys and that's a lot. P6 and P7 is nothing to be proud of.

"You can hear the frustration in my voice but there is more to come and it's incremental, marginal gains we need to make. This is how the sport goes."