Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hailed George Russell’s Las Vegas drive as «from another planet» with the Briton managing to convert pole into victory under the lights in Nevada, and leading a 1-2 for the team in the process.
The Silver Arrows looked good from word go in Vegas, the cooler conditions seemingly suiting the W15 as Lewis Hamilton topped the opening two practice sessions, before Russell did likewise in FP3 and then grabbed pole in qualifying.
The only negative was Hamilton’s qualifying performance in Q3, a messy lap leaving him 10th on the grid – but he soon put that right in the Grand Prix, scything his way through the top 10 to follow his team mate home for Mercedes’ first 1-2 since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
“It feels very nice, if one would understand these cars,” Wolff joked to Sky Sports F1. “Because today we really crushed everyone – dominant – we could have gone easily faster. At times we were two seconds quicker than everyone else.
Wolff called Russell’s driving ‘from another planet’ in Las Vegas
“We do [understand our car] but it’s just when you design a car and you put it on track, generally you try and have it good at every track.
“And we seem to be very good in the high speed, when it is on the chillier side, with less grip. That is something we can be proud about but when it is hot, that’s when the car is not performing so well.”
Another positive for Mercedes is that both their drivers seem to be performing at a very high level when involved in wheel-to-wheel action. Russell might have led from pole, but he had to work hard in the early stages to keep a charging Charles Leclerc at bay, the Ferrari with more straight line speed than Mercedes.
Hamilton meanwhile had to fight hard to climb back through the field, his charge including an on-track move on former rival Max Verstappen for good measure.
2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Hamilton powers past Verstappen for P3
“George’s driving was just from another planet, he kept it under control and managed it all the time,” said Wolff. “I think his defending from Leclerc was spectacular and Lewis came from P10 with a super strong car, finishing just five seconds behind George, chapeau.
“Finally, congratulations to Max Verstappen on winning the title; he is a deserving champion, and we hope to take the fight to him next year.”
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