Mercedes’ Toto Wolff: “It’s all or nothing for the season finale”

Toto Wolff is expecting an ‘intense’ weekend in Abu Dhabi as his Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team look to extend their run of Constructors’ Championship triumphs to eight in a row, while Lewis Hamilton is looking to win his eighth Drivers’ Championship.

Mercedes hold a twenty-eight point advantage over Red Bull Racing at the top of the Constructors’ battle with a maximum of forty-four points available, but the main battle is for the Drivers’ crown, with Hamilton and Max Verstappen equal on points.

Wolff, the Team Principal at Mercedes, is delighted that the team are still involved in both championships heading into the season finale, and he hopes the performance levels they showed in last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will continue into Abu Dhabi and enable the team to close out the year with both championships.

“The final race will be intense, but it’s important to not get distracted, to just keep our heads down, our feet on the ground and bring the performance that we had last time out,” said Wolff.  “We’re grateful to still be in this fight.

“The fact that both championships will be decided at the season finale proves just how hard both sides have been challenging each other and pushing each other forward. It’s all or nothing for the season finale and that’s amazing for the sport, amazing for the fans and amazing for all of us, too.”

The Yas Marina Circuit has been changed for this season and is expected to be significantly faster than in previous years, and Wolff says it will be another weekend of learning after the two new venues of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“We’re also relishing the challenges of racing in Abu Dhabi this weekend, at a circuit that has gone through quite a few changes since we last raced there,” said Wolff.  “There are new sections of track to understand and that really is a step into the unknown for everyone.

“So, it’s going to be another exciting weekend!”