Toto Wolff

Wolff worried Mercedes could be EMBARRASSED at Silverstone

Joe Ellis Saturday 8 July 2023 22:57 Updated: 07:20

Toto Wolff is concerned that Mercedes could be comprehensively beaten by McLaren at the British Grand Prix.

McLaren brought their upgraded MCL60, together with a new paint job, to Silverstone after a successful debut at the Red Bull Ring and it paid off in qualifying.

Lando Norris nearly took pole position at his home event before Max Verstappen snatched it away again and Oscar Piastri backed up his team-mate in third.

Mercedes, meanwhile, could only manage sixth and seventh behind the two Ferrari drivers and Wolff is not satisfied with that result at his drivers' home race.

Lewis Hamilton levelled the inter-team qualifying battle with George Russell at 5-5 at Silverstone

A massive step

"I think we did OK. It's all so tiny (margins),” Wolff said to Sky Sports. “We are competitive in terms of lap times for what we expected, the question is how much pace differential we need to overtake because there are a few cars ahead of us.

"McLaren have taken a massive step clearly so we need to see if that consolidates. They are a force to be reckoned with now."

Mercedes can take encouragement from decent race pace in practice on Friday even though their outright speed in qualifying trim was not there.

Mick Schumacher did a long stint in the simulator, which finished well after 2am, to improve the setup and it seemed to go in the right direction.

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