Wolff and Hamilton “satisfied” with the end of the race under Safety Car
The head of Mercedes praised the end of the race in Monza, which concluded under the safety car, unlike the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton missed out on his 8th world championship title.
The (bad) memory of Abu Dhabi came back to Toto Wolff during the end of the Italian Grand Prix, which ended under the intervention of the safety car.
When Sky Sports journalists asked the Mercedes boss about his thoughts on this outcome, he praised the race management for enforcing the rules and took a slight jab at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It is worth mentioning that during the final race of last season, Lewis Hamilton ultimately missed out on his 8th world championship title due to the authorities’ decision to deploy the safety car just before the race’s end. It then became child’s play for Max Verstappen to overtake the Mercedes driver and snatch the title away from him in a dramatic finale.
Only once when they didn’t follow the rules.
Maybe they could have done it a bit earlier or let George (Russell) pass, but at least they followed the rules and accepted that the race ended under the safety car, and that’s how it should be, or shouldn’t it, he said, referring to the 2021 conclusion at Yas Marina.
“Lewis Hamilton is also happy that the end of the race ended under the Safety Car. « I am grateful to have made my way through and obtained these points. In the end, the cars behind me had fresher tires, so I am happy to have finished behind the safety car »,” said the British driver.
“« It always brings back memories,” added the seven-time world champion. « These are the rules as they should be, right? There’s only one time in the history of the sport where they didn’t apply the rules like today, and that’s the one where it changed the championship result. But that’s how it is. » Michael Masi must be feeling the heat…”
Stable in the constructors’ standings.
Regarding George Russell and Lewis Hamilton’s results, who finished respectively in 3rd and 5th place in Monza, Toto Wolff expressed his satisfaction: « I believe we can see that we are on a track that does not suit us. We are clearly third on the track, so three and five is probably the best we could achieve. »
After this race, Mercedes remains third in the constructors’ championship, with 371 points, far ahead of Alpine and its 175 points, and just a few lengths behind Ferrari and its 406 points.
