Toto Wolff defends Kimi Antonelli after collision with Max Verstappen
Toto Wolff expressed his regrets after a complicated Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes, marked by Kimi Antonelli's collision with Max Verstappen on the first lap, and George Russell's lonely run to fifth place.
Winner at the previous Grand Prix in Canada, Mercedes had started their weekend well by dominating the first free practice session at the Red Bull Ring. But this highlight would remain isolated.
A nightmarish weekend
Fifth and ninth in qualifying, the Mercedes drivers hoped to turn things around in the race. But from the start, their hopes were dashed: Kimi Antonelli lost control of his car while braking at turn 3 and collided with Max Verstappen.
Result: a retirement for the Dutchman and a three-place grid penalty for the Italian rookie.
George Russell then found himself as the only representative of the German team and finished in the same position as at the start, more than a minute behind the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Questioned about the incident involving Kimi Antonelli, Toto Wolff replied: « We’ve always known that one day… No, let me put it another way. These kinds of mistakes happen. The rear wheels locked up. I’m not entirely sure if it’s his fault or a technical issue. I haven’t seen the data or heard the analysis yet because we were focused on the race. But there you go, it happens. It’s unfortunate for Max and Red Bull that he collided with him, but that’s racing. »
Yes, he quickly came to the garage. I told him, ‘Well, it wasn’t great,’ which he already knew. He explained to me that the tires had locked up, so we need to analyze that. It’s unfortunate to eliminate another car, but these kinds of things can happen to the best, to beginners as well as to experienced drivers. It’s part of F1, he added.
A dip in form for Mercedes
Toto Wolff also spoke about Mercedes’ overall performance this weekend, in contrast with George Russell’s victory in Montreal in cooler conditions.
« Last year here, we had won. George took advantage of the clash between Max and Lando. We were 10-15 seconds behind the leaders, a good performance. This year, we are a minute behind. Clearly, something didn’t work. We’re experimenting a lot at the moment: the settings, the balance, the track setup, and this time, we got it wrong, we know it », he explains.
« It’s not just because of the asphalt, the long turns, or the heat. It’s not our strong point, sure, but that doesn’t explain such a gap. We think we know why, but as always, it’s easier to say in hindsight. »
With this result, Mercedes falls back to 3rd place in the Constructors’ standings, one point behind Ferrari, who scored big thanks to Charles Leclerc (3rd) and Lewis Hamilton (4th).
