Mercedes boss Toto Wolff sides with the faction of F1 fans that believe Lewis Hamilton should have won his eighth title last year.
The controversial 2021 season finale at the Abu Dhabi GP triggered the fiery debate over the championship result. Many believe that Lewis Hamilton was wronged in the final lap of the race as he was about to grab his record eighth world title.
Mercedes’ team principal Toto Wolff also believes that Hamilton should have had the eighth title last year.
Hamilton was pipped by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the final lap of the Yas Marina Circuit. The controversial safety car decision made by the race director Michael Masi left the fans furious.
Masi was later removed from his position after being severely criticised for being biased towards Red Bull.
Going into the 2022 season, both Mercedes and Hamilton’s stronger comeback was expected. Though it did not turn out well for the Brackley-based team.
Following the overhaul of technical regulations in 2022, Mercedes came to the track in the mid-field rather than front runners.
The disappointing start to the 2022 season led the seven-time world champion to consider himself out of the title battle.
However, Wolff, one of the most successful team bosses in F1 history is still hopeful for a return to the top.
The Austrian boss said, “I think Hamilton should have had an eighth world title last year, everybody knows that.”
“But now we need to make a car that puts him in the position of going for that eighth title. And that is fundamentally my responsibility. But that’s good. I’m in control of that situation.”
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Lewis Hamilton says W13 ‘lacking everywhere’ in French GP
After a satisfactory result in the Austrian GP, the Brackley-based team announced a major upgrade for the race at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The improved upgrades brought hopes for the team’s return to the top of the grid and even a possible win at the French GP.
Que dupla! 🥺
📸 x @askolatte pic.twitter.com/68ceab5sB0
— Mercedes-AMG F1 Brasil 🇧🇷 (@MercedesAMGF1BR) July 22, 2022
However, after Friday’s Free Practice sessions, Hamilton said that the W13 was lacking performance everywhere at the Circuit.
The Briton said, “I’m going to have to dig deep into the data, but it just feels like we’re lacking downforce. Otherwise, it’s okay, I can only have empathy for the guys that are further back.
“I think generally this generation of the car, it’s definitely nowhere near as it used to be in terms of grip we had in the past. But it also is the first year of this generation so I’m sure it’ll get better over the years.
“We have work to do, we’re a little bit further behind than we anticipated this weekend,” he added.
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