Wolff enduring "exercise in humility" after tough F1 season start
Wolff enduring "exercise in humility" after tough F1 season start
Toto Wolff believes Mercedes' tough start to the F1 season is "an exercise in humility" after winning the last eight constructors' championships.
Mercedes has been on the back foot in the opening two races, with their struggles coming to a head in Jeddah as seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was knocked out of Q1 on pure pace for the first time since 2009, starting from 15th on the grid.
Hamilton recovered to score a point by finishing 10th - although was unaware such a position scored - while George Russell was fifth, leaving Wolff to lament at not being a part of the "fun games" at the front of the pack.
"We have had the luxury of being right in the middle of those fun games for the last eight years," said the Mercedes team principal.
"Actually luxury is the wrong word. We were right in the middle of those fun games in the front, and talking as a Formula 1 stakeholder we're benefiting from a great show that is really spectacular to look at.
"On the other side, it is extremely painful to not be part of those fun games by quite a chunk of lap time deficit.
"We're not going to rest until we are back in the mix. It is no fun at all and an exercise in humility. It's going to make us stronger even though it's not fun right now."
Hamilton caught out by pit entry confusion
Wolff was at least encouraged by Hamilton's race pace after his below-par qualifying but bemoaned the stricken cars of Alpine's Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo at the pit entry that cost his driver Hamilton time.
Both had sustained power unit issues in quick succession, with Ricciardo parking his McLaren shortly before the start of the pit lane, while Alpine ground to a halt 30 metres further on after crawling around a lap in a bid to return to the garage.
"The encouraging side is that his pace on the hard was positive," said Wolff, referring to Hamilton's opening stint on that tyre. "We couldn't tell if it was fast but it was positive.
"Alonso slowed down during the lap, Ricciardo broke down in the entry and we told him to come in but there was a double yellow with one car slowing down and one stationary so it was a confusing situation.
"He passed by and slowed down because of the confusion which made us come out behind [Kevin] Magnussen, then it's game over."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- 6 minutes ago
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- 1 hour ago
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- 2 hours ago
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- Today 13:59
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- Today 12:59
Related news
Wolff left FUMING with Mercedes despite amazing Hamilton lap
Hamilton to open Wolff talks at Mercedes amid Ferrari F1 move uncertainty
Brundle hits back at Wolff comments over 2024 title
Red Bull boss Horner SHUTS DOWN F1 rival Wolff's title talk
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860