Mercedes spirits high for Austin after milestone win in Turkey

Mercedes

Mercedes spirits high for Austin after milestone win in Turkey

Another incredible achievement came with Bottas' win last time out

Ewan Gale

Tuesday 19 October 2021 11:33

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed the high spirits within the team ahead of the United States Grand Prix after a milestone victory in Turkey.

Valtteri Bottas' dominant victory in difficult conditions last time out was the 200th in F1 for Mercedes' engine manufacturing branch at High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth, the first win taken with McLaren in 1997.

With the victory added to Lewis Hamilton's Russian Grand Prix triumph, the wins were the team's first back-to-back victories since the seven-time champion won in Portugal and Spain at the beginning of the campaign.

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"It was encouraging to see our positive performance momentum continue last time out in Turkey," said Wolff.

"We haven't scored back-to-back race wins in a little while, so naturally spirits have been high in the factories since we returned from Istanbul.

"That race win was also the 200th victory for Brixworth since they began their winning streak in 1997, which is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the passion and hard work of everyone at HPP."

Mercedes "ready to react" in Texas

Mercedes arrive at Austin knowing Hamilton has a stellar record at the Circuit of the Americas and will need to continue his streak of victories with a six-point gap to championship leader Max Verstappen.

Both drivers have taken engine penalties and should be safe from reliability issues for the rest of the year but Wolff has insisted the team are prepared for anything thrown at them.

"This season has had so many twists and turns, so we're ready to react to whatever comes our way this weekend in Texas," he explained.

"We're excited to be back in Austin for the first time since 2019, it's always a popular stop on the calendar and we can't wait to see all the passionate American fans. "The Circuit of the Americas is a fun track for the drivers. There are some really fast and flowing corners, plus some technical sections and good overtaking opportunities.

"It's got a bit of everything and is a great track for racing, so I'm sure we're set for an entertaining grand prix."