In the sprint shootout session of the Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes went through many highs and lows during the course of the race. The team principal, Toto Wolff has spoken to the media regarding Mercedes’ weekend at Spa and stated, “When you see that he [Hamilton] was leading the pack before that last lap, it is clearly a problem for all of us. But we’ve tripped up a few times now and we just need to up our game.”
Hamilton’s impressive performance made him the fastest overall after the first run in sprint qualifying. His chances of earning the pole position, nonetheless, fell apart when he and his teammate George Russell fell into the hands of mere miscommunication. Russell lost momentum as they rushed through Eau Rouge, but Lewis Hamilton saw himself opening his last lap right behind. As a result, both of their laps were jeopardized.
Toto Wolff says Mercedes needs to up to their game after missing out on pole yesterday.
“When you see that he [Hamilton] was leading the pack before that last lap, it is clearly a problem for all of us.
“It’s really a constant development and learning process. And I think with… pic.twitter.com/F0VHSDHeQe
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 30, 2023
Toto Wolff acknowledged the need to make adjustments within the Mercedes team after reflecting on the errors committed, which followed similar situations during the qualifying runs in prior races. He understood that the crew as a whole had been affected, not just the driver who missed out on the front row or the pole spot.
Wolff stressed the importance of continuous learning and growth, and he showed faith that the talks that followed the mishaps had led to breakthroughs in resolving the issues at hand. However, he also acknowledged that there had been plenty of stumbles and that the whole team needs to improve.
What did Lewis Hamilton say about Mercedes’ mishap?
Both the Englishmen have voiced their opinion on the incident and it seems to be a communication error rather than a prelude to a rivalry. The ex-Williams driver said, “The messaging was we’re really close to the line, and we need to muscle our way past people to make the lap.”
This was a clear racing incident. FIA really has it for Lewis Hamilton, total bs pic.twitter.com/BSKaPfqxiH
— Unicorn🦄 (@hamburgerh0tdog) July 29, 2023
Hamilton, on the other hand, commented that he believed the communication seemed a little incorrect and that they were supposed to keep going again after completing the slow lap. When they encountered the last turn, there were nearly seven cars there, and George and he both felt they were running out of time. As a consequence, George ran up the inside as opposed to choosing to take his time and open a distance.
Mercedes stands at 2nd place with 223 points and 5 podiums in total out of which 4 podiums come from the 7-time champion. The team is performing better than they were last year but has a long way to catch up to Max Verstappen and Checo Perez at Red Bull.