Toto Wolff DUMBSTRUCK over Mercedes lack of pace

Austrian Grand Prix

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Wolff DUMBSTRUCK over Mercedes lack of pace

The Austrian Grand Prix was a race to forget for Mercedes

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Sunday 2 July 2023 22:57 Updated: 10:34

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that the team have "no inkling" why they lacked so much pace at the Austrian Grand Prix, after Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished seventh and eighth respectively.

It was a race – and weekend – to forget for the Silver Arrows after they watched on as Max Verstappen claimed his seventh victory of the year.

Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez locked out the other podium places, with Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris all finishing ahead of the Mercedes duo.

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And speaking after the race, Wolff was left scratching his head over why the W14 struggled so much on track.

Wolff: No clue why Mercedes were so slow

Lewis Hamilton finished in seventh at the Austrian Grand Prix

“The car had no pace today," he told Sky Sports. "It’s a bruising day I would say, because we had such a good upward trend, and then you have to take such a day. There was no pace, and no inkling why yet.

“I think the moment you slide those tyres, be it on braking or through the corners, you just have no grip, and this is what happened [for Hamilton]."

A vast number of penalties were handed out for exceeding track limits during the race, including one for Hamilton. And Wolff believes that changes need to be made to prevent a repeat event occurring next season.

“The stewards are doing their job," he said. "It’s what the rule says. I think we’ve either got to go back to the sausage kerb and need to take into consideration the teams and drivers shouldn’t complain if they break their cars, because that’s clear.

"Or you’ve just got to let everybody go where they want. That’s the other solution, like they do in some of the races in the United States."