Toto Wolff was feeling quite relaxed and happy about Mercedes’ improving showing in Canada. The Silver Arrows showed incredible pace throughout the weekend, getting pole and being in contention for the race win too. However, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton had to settle for P3 and P4 respectively. Still, Wolff feels that this result is a good sign for Mercedes getting into the fight at the front involving Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren.
In a YouTube video by Sky Sports, the Austrian gave his thoughts on how the upcoming races in Spain, Austria, and Britain will pan out for them and their rivals. He stated, “You can’t discount Max and Red Bull. They are still the benchmark, they are right up there.”
“But McLaren have made huge steps, and don’t forget Ferrari, they were not visible today but if it was two weeks ago, they were the benchmark. So it’s four teams that are competitive now.”, added Wolff.
Wolff‘s assessment is correct with regard to how Max Verstappen is still regularly in the mix for poles and wins. While Red Bull are grappling with certain issues with the RB20, their inherent pace is still keeping them in the hunt, just marginally ahead of Ferrari and McLaren.
However, the Canadian GP threw a complete curveball that disrupted this pecking order. Ferrari dropped back to struggle throughout the weekend and Mercedes surprised everyone with their pace matching Red Bull and McLaren.
However, Wolff is being cautious that their front wing upgrades which resulted in this performance jump need to be consistent and work on other tracks too. If this performance jump was track-specific for the Silver Arrows, the upcoming races in Barcelona, Austria, and Silverstone could once again hamper them.
Toto Wolff looks forward to the Spanish GP as Mercedes’ litmus test
Wolff highlighted how the Spanish GP could reveal a better picture of where Mercedes really stand despite their upgrades working well in Montreal. The reason is that the Barcelona track has a wider range of corners and often gives a more accurate picture of any team’s actual performance.
Besides that, Wolff also mentioned how the upcoming triple header in Europe could suit Red Bull more. Thus, the improved W15 will face a sterner test to match their performance benchmark. The Mercedes boss mentioned how Barcelona could be an “interesting” race for the top four teams including themselves.
Toto’s wrap-up from Sunday in MTL ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/pADeeCWt03
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 10, 2024
Although, he expects Austria to favor Red Bull as is the case often every season. Still, if Mercedes can figure out a way to transcend their Montreal performance on the European tracks too, it would spice up the championship standings even more.
With Ferrari and McLaren already hassling Red Bull, the Brackley outfit could become another thorn in Red Bull’s side to give us a historic season.
