Toto Wolff: Vettel’s victory is a wake-up call for Mercedes
After Sebastian Vettel's victory in Malaysia, Mercedes is playing the card of caution. Toto Wolff believes that the German driver's victory is a wake-up call for his team.
Mercedes had won 16 out of 19 races last season, and after a demonstration at the Australian Grand Prix, this time the Silver Arrows failed in Malaysia. Winner of this Grand Prix at the wheel of his Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel sends a message to Mercedes, who thought they had a significant lead.
A well-received message from Toto Wolff: « We didn’t expect Ferrari to catch up so quickly by the second week. So losing in this way will be a beneficial wake-up call for us. »
Ferrari managed the tires better under the Malaysian heat, which is why Toto Wolff pays tribute to them: « Ferrari deserved to win and from a race perspective we have to admit they’ve made great development. It’s positive for F1. It’s the second race of the season and a second team wins. It’s probably necessary for F1. »
Mercedes made a very early pit stop after Marcus Ericcson went off track, while Sebastian Vettel stopped much later. Toto Wolff explains this pit stop: « We couldn’t match Ferrari’s long-term pace. It wouldn’t be fair to say we lost when they were the ones who won it. If I were optimistic, I’d say last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix was tough for us, but it would be naive not to take Ferrari seriously. They have a very good car, a great engine, and two great drivers. »
The two Mercedes drivers believe that the Ferrari drivers could be title contenders this year, but Ferrari does not want to get ahead of themselves. Ferrari’s technical director, James Allison, said he did not expect to be able to challenge Mercedes for victory at the next Grand Prix in China, on April 12, but he hopes to repeat a surprise: « I am quite sure that we will have done good work in China and that we will achieve the same impressive job that we have done here. »
