Ferrari on another level before strategic misstep - Wolff
Ferrari on another level before strategic misstep - Wolff
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes Ferrari and Charles Leclerc were on "another level" before woes hit at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Yet another strategic blunder by the Scuderia left Leclerc slipping from a likely race win down to sixth on a day where championship rival Max Verstappen charged from 10th on the grid to victory.
Leclerc had made his way past George Russell, who had held the lead from pole until lap 31, only for his race to unravel soon after with an unnecessary counter pit stop to Verstappen and a switch to the unworkable hard compound.
That meant Mercedes was able to clinch a double podium with Russell finishing behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton after a late-race charge on soft tyres from the seven-time champion.
"We never quite knew whether we would be able to race for the win," conceded Wolff.
"It was encouraging to see that George, on the soft, was able to hang on to the lead and Lewis was strong in P5 or P6, so that was an encouraging first sign.
"We knew that the Ferrari had more speed. When Leclerc passed George, it looked like we had to accept they were simply on another level."
Wolff praises Red Bull execution
Verstappen's charge put him 80 points ahead at the top of the championship with nine races left and saw him pit early to jump ahead of Lewis Hamilton before using his speed to ascend to the front.
"Where Max came from, he made big steps through the first overtakes which brought him into a good situation," explained Wolff.
"The early undercut of Lewis was a bold move because it wasn't clear then what would happen in the race.
"A strong race from them and a good execution."
Additional reporting by Ian Parkes
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Marko defends Ricciardo in 'unbelievable' idiot claim
- 8 minutes ago
Hamilton hints at sensational Newey arrival at Ferrari
- 1 hour ago
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- 2 hours ago
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- 3 hours ago
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- Today 17:58
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- Today 17:00
Related news
Manufacturer gives UPDATE on controversial Verstappen award saga
Rosberg opens up on CURSE after jinxing two more drivers
F1 star admits he 'could've stayed in hotel' in STUNNING Hungarian GP revelation
Schumacher claims Perez's Red Bull days 'are numbered'
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