Silverstone was a truly special Sunday for Mercedes. Not only because it was the second consecutive victory but, above all, because the British GP confirmed even more how the W15 is now a car that can fight on equal terms with McLaren and Red Bull, egoing beyond the team’s expectations. Toto Wolff spoke about Hamilton’s hugely important win and the next steps for his team.
THE BATTLE WITH MCLAREN AND THE STRATEGIC CHOICES MADE
Speaking about the race at Silverstone, Wolff stressed that Mercedes only struggled in the few laps with a damp track and slick tyres when the McLarens seemed to be in another league:
“At the beginning, we were really controlling the pace, and that was very encouraging. When it started to rain, you could see the huge performance of the McLarens. They were just in the right tyre window. But we came back and, in all other conditions, I think we had everything under control.
“It’s a shame about George’s retirement. He had the pace, and to disappoint him here is not great .”
Fundamental to Hamilton’s success was the decision to fit the Briton with Soft tyres, calling him back one lap before Lando Norris. McLaren admitted to having copied Mercedes’ choice, effectively condemning its driver who went into crisis in the final laps, also losing second place to Max Verstappen:
“We didn’t have any Medium tyres available. For us, it was very simple, and we didn’t believe that the Hard was the right tyre,” Wolff explained.
“In hindsight, the right order of priority would probably have been Medium, Hard and Soft. But in the end, we saved it. I think our tyre park was good compared to McLaren’s, and that ensured the victory .”
In a race characterised by constantly changing track conditions, communication between the driver and the pit wall was crucial:
“I think the communication with the driver today was very good, and we kept the channel open all the time,” Wolff explained.
“ Then, between us, we continued to discuss the pros and cons. We were monitoring, and, at a certain point, the strategy said that we believed that the crossover was at that moment. That was the perfect moment to make the tyre change .”
WOLFF: “WE WILL BRING UPDATES TO BUDAPEST AND SPA”
At Silverstone, Mercedes took its second consecutive win after the one at the Red Bull Ring. A one-two like it hasn’t managed for years, with two victories coming in very different ways, but where the constant has been the ever-improving performance of the W15: “ If you consider that five races ago we weren’t even fighting for the podium, it felt like the third year of no performance, ” Wolff admitted.
“And then we clicked. Suddenly, everything that didn’t make sense started to make sense. The development direction is the sum of the results of the development directions. Like in the old days, we are finding the performance. We are putting it in the car, and that translates into lap times.
“In the last two years, that hasn’t been the case. There is still a lot to do in terms of performance. We will bring updates to Budapest and Spa. We won last week, benefiting from the contact between the top two, but today, we got an honest win. We had real pace. You could see it when George and Lewis were leading .”
Speaking about how Mercedes managed to make that click that took them out of the crisis they found themselves in at the start of the year, Wolff praised the work of technical director James Allen:
“There was a moment where guided by James, suddenly the data made sense. How we balance the car and how we can bring it into a better zone. It was not a miracle. Front wing or anything else, it’s more about the balance we have achieved. Last weekend, we were not far away.
“If you look at the gap we had before Lando and Max collided, it was maybe two-tenths a lap, a little bit more. And that was the smallest gap we have been in a long time on a track that we didn’t like that much in the past.
“That gave us some clues that the situation could improve a lot. We honestly didn’t think it would happen at Silverstone because there is almost nothing new, just little things we put on the car. We expected more Budapest or Spa, but we confirmed that what we do is right at this moment.”
THE RELATIONSHIP WITH LEWIS HAMILTON
Wolff then dwelt on the emotional aspect of the victory at Silverstone:
“I think it has been so difficult in the last two years. We couldn’t find the best performance. We couldn’t give the drivers a car that would allow them to aspire to victory and let Lewis win once again in the British GP, his last time with us. For Mercedes here it was almost like a little fairytale. We couldn’t have staged it any better .”
The win in front of his home fans ended a bad period for Hamilton, who admitted to having had some very negative thoughts over the past few months. Wolff said:
“It’s clear that our relationship goes back a long time and we’ve each suffered at different stages. He’s been there for me, and more recently, I’ve tried to contribute to his doubts at times. And that’s why it’s really nice that he’s been able to put aside all the negative thoughts, all the negativity and come up with this performance. And I think that’s a weight lifted off his shoulders.”
On the horizon remains the announced separation from Hamilton, who has chosen to move to Ferrari in 2025: “ In my life, I have no regrets because you can’t have regrets, ” Wolff added. “ We are adults. We make decisions, we move forward. That’s the most important thing. So we have to finish the season strong, provide them with a car that allows the team to win and score valuable points in the Constructors’ Championship .”
THE OTHER VICTORY OF THE WEEKEND, THAT OF ANTONELLI
If Hamilton represents the past and present of Mercedes, the future is represented by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who took his first victory in F2 at Silverstone on Saturday:
“It’s something he needed,” commented Wolff.
“It makes quite an impact at the moment when we have the greatest British driver winning with us at the British GP, and in the garage, you have this young Italian who doesn’t even have a driving licence .”
The success achieved on Saturday, in wet conditions, has given confidence to Antonelli, protagonist so far of a tough season:
“Seeing him on Saturday flying on the water, I mean, sometimes 2 seconds faster than anyone else. You can see the talent, the ability and the potential of this young man. Winning that race, I think, took a lot of weight off his shoulders,” concluded Wolff, speaking of his protégé.
