Toto Wolff compares Red Bull and Ferrari
Toto Wolff compared his championship battle with Red Bull this season to Mercedes' rivalry with Ferrari in 2018 and 2019.
The duel is raging between Mercedes and Red Bull. While Max Verstappen had taken the lead in the championship for several races, his two accidents at Silverstone and in Hungary allowed Lewis Hamilton to reclaim first place. Eight points now separate the two drivers. This intense battle brings back memories to Toto Wolff when his team was fighting neck and neck with Ferrari in 2018 and 2019.
This season is very intense, just like the 2018 and 2019 seasons when we were fighting Ferrari. It was sometimes very difficult. We were really pushing the limits, and that also means pushing each other almost to the breaking point to win the championship.
Remember in 2018, Ferrari, with a very fast car, was leading Mercedes by twenty points in the constructors’ championship, while Sebastian Vettel had an eight-point lead over Hamilton. Like this season between Verstappen and the British driver. With less success, Ferrari had to concede the title to Mercedes and Hamilton later in the season. In a mid-season assessment, Wolff said he had experienced several tough months, going over the recent Grand Prix history a bit.
« The last few months have been very intense. We had a good period at the beginning of spring. […] Then we had a few races that were really bad, starting with Monaco, then Baku. »
Red Bull then went on a series of five victories with very few points taken by Mercedes. The German team had to act quickly.
« Since then, we have somewhat found our rhythm and we have discovered how our car behaved with the new tires. I think we came back to a much better place at Silverstone and in Hungary.
Mercedes in a hunting position
If Mercedes has regained the lead in the constructors’ and drivers’ championship through Lewis Hamilton, Red Bull is not far behind and is determined to fight until the end to win another title. Toto Wolff remains vigilant. It’s only halfway through the season after all. The battle resumes at the end of August with the Belgian Grand Prix.
« I think we are the hunters and we approach this with pleasure. There is nothing to lose for us, because we are at a deficit compared to our competitors. So we must win and continue the journey with great anticipation and enjoy every race weekend to try to do the best job possible.
