"Unfinished business" for Mercedes in Spa - Wolff

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes his team face "unfinished business" at Spa this weekend as it attempts to right the wrongs of a seemingly rare anomaly in its astonishing Formula 1 results record.

Following a run of three successive Belgian Grand Prix victories from 2015-17, Mercedes has failed to take the chequered flag at the circuit for the last two years.

Coming into this season, prior to the calendar changes to accommodate Covid-19, Spa and the Red Bull Ring were the only two circuits where Mercedes had not won in the previous two attempts.

The team corrected one of those aberrations with back-back victories in Austria in July, and is now out to amend the other this weekend.

"After a weekend off, we're now starting the third triple-header of the year," said Wolff. "Our next race takes us to Spa where we haven't won since 2017, so it feels like there's unfinished business as we head to Belgium.

"It's an iconic track and one of the fans' favourites, but finding the right set-up can be difficult because of the variety of characteristics.

"On the one hand you want as little drag as possible on the long straights, but on the other hand, you need a certain level of downforce to be quick through the corners. It's also forecast to be rainy in the Ardennes, which won't make the job any easier."

Mercedes head to Spa on the back of what was its most emphatic result of the season so far, with Lewis Hamilton triumphing by just over 24 seconds to Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with team-mate Valtteri Bottas third and the only other driver on the same lap as the six-time champion.

Wolff is aware his team has a lot to live up to, adding: "We really saw our team's mindset come to life in Spain.

"After struggling in Silverstone, we analysed our problems and tried to come to the right conclusions within just a few days. A lot of people worked tirelessly so that we could have a better race in Barcelona and our strong performance on Sunday was the outcome of that effort.

"Winning in Spain was a great reward for all the smart work in the days before and it makes me very proud to see how this team just keeps raising the bar."

Before you go...

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