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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff commented on the qualifying results at Spa, shared his predictions for the next race, and also expressed his opinion on the situation Ferrari was in..
Q: Starting from Monza, the ban on the use of special rating modes of operation for engines will come into force, and it is clear that there is much talk about how this could affect Mercedes. After the Spanish Grand Prix, there were even suggestions that you didn’t use these modes in Barcelona, is that correct?
And have you made any adjustments to your schedule this weekend due to the ban introduced by Technical Directive 37?
Toto Wolff: Of course, depending on the track, the modes we use change, and this affects the difference between qualifying and race modes. This is not to say that we use the so-called Party Mode on each track, as this special rating mode causes serious damage to the engine and reduces its resource.
If you can do it without using it, we will try to. So of course, starting with Monza, the new ban will affect us in some way, but all other power plant manufacturers will be in exactly the same condition.
Question: Are you not afraid that your cars after the start may be in an unfavorable position, because in fact you are giving Max Verstappen the opportunity to use the wake? After all, if you overtake your racers, it won’t be easy to fight back, as the Red Bull Racing car is tuned for pretty high downforce …
Toto Wolff: Yes, we take these considerations into account when preparing for the Grand Prix. Overall, our qualifying result shows that our cars are the fastest on a lap, but I hope that this advantage will continue into the race.
The scenario you are talking about is quite possible: we are in a quite vulnerable position, especially on the straight that leads to the fifth corner. Max’s car is tuned for high downforce, but may have slightly less downforce than ours.
However, we are more interested in Daniel Riccardo’s car, as Renault relies on less pressure and they are the fastest in a straight line. I think we may find ourselves in a situation that we saw in 2009 due to Force India. Surely someone will try to regain positions already in the first turn, and I wonder how all this can affect tactics.
Question: Valtteri lost again to Lewis, what happened? Is Bottas a bit broken after everything that happened in previous races, or did Hamilton just take it to the next level and go even faster?
Toto Wolff: No, I don’t think the current difference in results is due to psychological reasons. Valtteri struggled with the setup, especially in qualifying, and we just talked about that. This can also be seen on telemetry. At the exit of the corners, his car began to slide more, all this affects.
But at the same time in no way would I want to belittle Lewis’s supernatural speed, which he demonstrated once again today on the classic Belgian track. Just play in your special league.
Q: How surprised are you with Ferrari’s results? His runners were in positions 13 and 14, indicating clear problems. Do you regret that now this team cannot compete with you?
Toto Wolff: Ferrari is a legendary brand and they must fight in the group of leaders. What is happening is not good for Formula 1, and I am very sympathetic to all the Italian fans and the Scuderia. But we must pose the question this way: did the Maranello team have the right priorities and is this the reason for the lack of speed?
And yet the people who work at Ferrari and the tifosi do not deserve such results.
Question: Can you clarify what you mean by talking about priorities?
Toto Wolff: I would not like to talk about that, because it is generally wrong to raise the question solely of Ferrari priorities. Perhaps the point is in the decisions that were made by this team, more precisely, by their individual representatives.
