The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team came agonisingly close to their first victory of the season at last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix; however, it wasn’t to be, they are therefore aiming to finally end their winless streak at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
It was a very strong weekend at Zandvoort for Mercedes, but Qualifying cost them come Sunday. George Russell finished second at the Dutch venue, equalling his best ever result in Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, despite having been in the lead with only a handful of laps remaining.
Team Principal Toto Wolff reflected on the team’s performance last weekend, one he labels as “fantastic”.
“We didn’t have the fastest car across the Dutch GP weekend, but the team did a fantastic job putting us in the mix to win the race and we need to ensure we’re in that position on a more regular basis.
“We took some risks in Zandvoort and not all of them worked; we exist to fight for victories and will never shy away from making bold decisions. We scored good points in our chase for P2 in the championship and it was fun to be back in the fight. Through everyone’s hard work, we’re edging closer to that first win of the season.”
The Austrian had some strong words, though, after the team were faced with a barrage of abuse, mainly from Hamilton fans. The seven-time World Champion was a sitting duck in the race’s closing stages, after being on tyres much poorer than the rest of the top four. Abuse has been a huge problem amongst the Formula 1 community this season, with Mercedes, Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri having all been on the receiving end of it following the recent race.
Wolff has called out for “respect”, whilst explaining that “hate speech and abuse” have “no place in F1”.
“Emotions were running high on social media after the last race, but hate speech and abuse directed at our Team and our competitors have no place in F1. We compete hard on the track but we always have respect for our rivals.”
This weekend’s race at the ‘Temple of Speed’ represents the last part of this season’s sole triple-header, one which has so far been very mixed for the Silver Arrows. Wolff isn’t expecting this weekend at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza to be a particularly strong one for the team, with Hamilton expected to take a grid penalty for a new power unit.
“This intense triple-header wraps up in Monza, an iconic venue with a rich history and heritage in motorsport, and of course the sea of red Tifosi.
“While Zandvoort suited our car, Monza is likely to be a more challenging weekend owing to the circuit characteristics. But we’re optimistic we’ll be in better shape than other low-downforce tracks like Spa, thanks to our learning since then, and be pushing hard to be fighting for the podium once again.”