Toto Wolff believes that Mercedes can be excited for their future after another solid result for the squad at the Chinese Grand Prix, with the Austrian stating that the Silver Arrows were “clearly the second fastest team” on race day.
After starting the season with a double points finish in Australia – via third and fourth for George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli respectively – the team further bolstered their tally in Shanghai, starting on Saturday when they collected a total of seven points in the Sprint.
READ MORE: Russell overjoyed with ‘one of my best weekends in F1’ after Chinese GP podium finish
Things got even better on Sunday when Russell again sealed the final spot on the podium in P3, while Antonelli crossed the line in eighth before being promoted to sixth place following the disqualifications of Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton up ahead.
With Russell less than two seconds behind Lando Norris in P2 at the end of the race in China – in which Oscar Piastri took victory – Wolff was pleased to see the gap to McLaren narrow in comparison to the margin in Melbourne, giving him hope for what the team might be able to achieve going forwards.
Russell followed up his third in Australia with another podium result at the Chinese Grand Prix
“I wouldn’t say we are in the hunt now – when you look at Piastri being in front, it is easier on the tyres and you can manage it,” Wolff commented after the race. “But we are not far away, maybe the gap is a couple of tenths rather than the second it was in Melbourne.
“We are clearly the second fastest team today and that’s another solid result. George’s driving was a 10 out of 10, and I rarely give 10 out of 10 but he just extracted the maximum that was there today. And in so far, there are reasons to be excited of what the future brings.”
Given that this marks Mercedes’ strongest start to a campaign since the introduction of ground effect technical regulations in 2022 – with the outfit in second place of the Teams’ standings – Wolff was quizzed on whether it felt as if the squad are generally more on top of things this time around.
READ MORE: 5 Winners and 5 Losers from China – Who finished the Sprint weekend in style in Shanghai?
“Yes, the platform is stabler, when we turn a screw on some sort of mechanical devise, a wing – it does what we expected,” the Team Principal explained. “We also have to be realistic that it is not where we want it to be.
“So we will be happy when we start winning races and fighting for championships, but there is no sense of entitlement – you have to work your way to that and this is the exciting journey that lies ahead.”
Wolff also acknowledged the importance of mastering the tyres going forward, adding: “I think we see that the fronts are a little bit sensitive and you need to handle them with care – that’s a bit different but it is the same for everyone.
Antonelli took P6 in Shanghai despite suffering floor damage early in the race
“[The race] shows the C2, the hard, was rock solid and robust, a racing tyre that could do three quarters of the race. So we are learning race by race, test by test, and the ones who are going to have the fastest learning rate on how to exploit the tyres is going to come out the winner.”
There were also some words of praise for Antonelli, whose pace was hampered by floor damage picked up on the opening lap of the race but the Italian youngster still put in another strong performance that earned him the Driver of the Day accolade.
“He got extensive floor damage, we don’t know why – maybe he ran over Charles’ endplate, but he had like massive holes in the floor and titanium strips that were gone,” said Wolff.
“So, considering he had a car that was severely impaired, finishing eighth [which later became sixth], holding on to it, not complaining and just getting on with the job shows the potential and the maturity the young man has.
“And obviously Driver of the Day, so you can see where the fan demographic is, which is something important in Formula 1 we need to remind ourselves.”
RACE TICKETS – JAPAN
Don’t miss your chance to experience Formula 1 at the epic figure-of-eight Suzuka Circuit…