F1 | Wolff | "4 races to go, 4 wins to take, 4 DNFs to suffer and we just continue fighting."
Toto Wolff declared that no one at Mercedes has the mentality that the titles are going away from them; the 2021 F1 season is far from over.
Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix, as stated by Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team Principal Toto Wolff, was ‘damage limitation for Lewis’. Despite Valtteri Bottas taking the fastest point away from Max Verstappen, that ‘was not a huge consolation’ according to the Mercedes maestro. However, Toto Wolff is not a man to give up on a fight and nor is his team. As such, Mercedes is unsurprisingly ready to give everything knowing that with 4 races of the 2021 F1 season to go, there is still all to play for.
During Sunday’s post-race press conference, of which motorlat.com was in attendance, Toto Wolff reflected on Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.
Having locked out the front row the previous day, the Silver Arrows, were already in a position they had not expected. In race trim though, Max Verstappen’s pace was too much to handle:
“When we came here, we didn’t expect to beat Red Bull. The qualifying result yesterday came as a surprise. Probably, they went backwards and we went forward a reflection of the pace differential we saw today in the race…Today the win was never on for us.”
Sir Lewis Hamilton was pragmatic in his post-race comments as he said he started P2 and finished P2 so can’t complain. Therefore, as damage limitation goes, this was indeed the best outcome with the seven-time F1 Drivers’ Champion finishing ahead of Sergio Perez in a quicker car. This, coupled with Valtteri Bottas depriving Max Verstappen of a point for fastest lap, could be crucial - as Wolff admitted to the media.
“I think every point counts and we’ve seen championships being lost by half a point or a point in so far that you have to fight for every single one and hold on to it.”
Nevertheless, Toto Wolff is also not a man to spend too long looking at the past and with the Mexican Grand Prix having been the first Grand Prix of a triple-header, it is not long before the team are back on track.
Next up is the Brazilian Grand Prix and Wolff explained that even though it has not always been a good circuit for them in the past “We believe we can have a solid car there, more close to Red Bull than we had here.”
With the consistent form shown by Max Verstappen and recently Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing have clawed back the deficit to Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship. Christian Horner has steered a charge which now sees his Red Bull Racing outfit a single point from the top. Therefore, the question was posed as to whether Toto Wolff believed the titles were slipping away.
“I am a pretty realistic person but I love motor racing because anything can happen. None of us is ever gonna leave this circuit with the mentality this is going away from us. There’s 4 races to go, 4 wins to take, 4 DNFS to suffer and we just continue fighting. We know we have a great team, our car was exceptionally good in Turkey and we have all to win but when you look at the mathematical probability, I would rather be 18 points ahead than behind but it is what it is.”
Speaking to the team’s official website, Mercedesamgf1.com, the battle cry from their leader was declared in greater detail:
"We'll be throwing everything we've got at the Brazilian Grand Prix and the races beyond. We're privileged to still be in the fight so late in the season and expect these titles to go right down to the wire, with both teams fighting hard to the very last lap. We've got some catching up to do and know it'll be an intense battle, but we'll continue to push hard and keep our eyes firmly set on the end goal."
Toto Wolff and his Mercedes team have not won 7 consecutive F1 Constructors’ Championships through luck. The drive, determination and desire of the Brackley-based outfit is as strong as ever. These recent comments from the man steering their ship, in the hope of an eighth consecutive Championship, once again show that Red Bull Racing has a fight on its hand to dethrone the prolific Champions.
Whoever ends up claiming the crown at season’s end, they shall have certainly worked hard to do so. When that moment comes, I fully expect to see the opposing team principal, (whether it be Christian Horner or Toto Wolff) offer the hand of congratulations - as that is what sport is always about.
