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Toto Wolff apologises after Mercedes drive as if on ‘three wheels’ at Brazilian GP

tom cary
·28 min read
6
Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mates had a grand prix to forget
Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mates had a grand prix to forget in Sao Paolo on Sunday - Getty Images/Buda Mendes

Just when you thought Mercedes might be getting their act together. An absolute horror show of a weekend for the Brackley team ended with Lewis Hamilton admitting Red Bull were so far ahead they were likely to remain unbeatable for at least the duration of his new two-year contract.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, meanwhile, was if anything even more despondent. The Austrian described the weekend bluntly as Mercedes’ “worst for 13 years”, even comparing the maddeningly inconsistent W14 to a three-wheeler at one point.

Wolff did not specify Del Boy’s Reliant Regal but Hamilton and team-mate George Russell must have felt like fools during Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Hamilton finished a distant eighth, over a minute down on the day’s winner, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who cruised to his 17th victory in 20 races this season. Russell did not even finish, retiring from 11th place due to overheating oil in his power unit. “Inexcusable,” Wolff said.

It was all a far cry from the optimism that accompanied the team during the first two legs of this marathon triple-header in Austin and Mexico. Hamilton finished second in both of those races, although he was later disqualified in Austin due to excessive plank wear. And it was again the new upgraded floor of the car which was the main talking point after this race.

Hamilton described it as the biggest improvement he had felt in the car in the ground effects era when he drove it in Austin two weekends ago. Here, it was a complete disaster. Mercedes had to run the car with too much wing, meaning it was “draggy” on the straights, to use Hamilton’s description, and unstable through corners.

Wolff apologised to his drivers. “Lewis survived out there,” he reflected of a race in which Hamilton briefly held second spot before plummeting down the field. “I can only feel for the two driving. It is a miserable thing. The car is on a knife edge and we have to develop it better for next year because it can’t be in seven days where you have one of the quickest cars and you are nowhere and finish eighth. The car almost drove like it was on three wheels and not on four.”

The race itself started in chaotic fashion, and that was just Martin Brundle’s gridwalk which saw him abort a bizarre interview with rapper Machine Gun Kelly.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed on the warm-up lap, his hydraulics failing. And when the race did get going it only lasted a few seconds before mayhem broke out, with Alex Albon tagged by the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg, which sent him flying into the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen, taking both cars out of the race and sending debris flying. AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo was nearly decapitated by a loose bouncing tyre. The Australian admitted afterwards that he was thankful to be unhurt.

“It [the tyre] was coming at me like a Frisbee through the air. I remember ducking my head. I didn’t feel anything hit me, but I checked my mirrors and saw my rear wing was pretty much off.”

At the front, Verstappen had successfully held on to the lead from McLaren’s Lando Norris. And after a safety car, followed by a red flag period while they cleared up the debris and mended the barriers, he did the same again at the restart. Norris nearly made it past him on lap 8 but there was always the feeling that Verstappen was toying with him, goading him into shredding his tyres in a futile attempt to pass. Norris eventually backed off and settled into a rhythm, comfortable taking second place at eight seconds. Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin took a magnificent third in what must have been one of the closest finishes F1 has ever known, by just 0.05sec from Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

Behind them, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and even Pierre Gasly (Alpine) all comfortably passed Hamilton before the finish. “It is a setback,” admitted the 38-year-old. “But as a team we will just come together and try to push forward. There will be a lot of analysis after today to ensure that we learn lessons.”

They will not have long to crunch the data. The next race is coming up fast, in Las Vegas in less than a fortnight’s time. Hamilton said for all he knew the W14 could be back to its best in Sin City, but he was not betting on it. “You never know with this car,” he concluded. “Ultimately all I can do is try to remain optimistic. But the Red Bull is so far away, they’re probably going to be very clear for the next couple of years.”

Max Verstappen wins Brazilian Grand Prix: As it happened . . .

07:46 PM GMT

Constructors standings

  1. Red Bull - 782

  2. Mercedes - 382

  3. Ferrari - 362

  4. McLaren - 282

  5. Aston Martin - 261

  6. Alpine - 108

  7. Williams - 28

  8. Alpha Tauri - 21

  9. Alfa Romeo - 16

  10. Haas - 12

07:45 PM GMT

Drivers standings

  1. Max Verstappen - 524

  2. Sergio Perez - 258

  3. Lewis Hamilton - 226

  4. Fernando Alonso - 198

  5. Lando Norris - 195

  6. Carlos Sainz - 192

  7. Charles Leclerc - 170

  8. George Russell - 156

  9. Oscar Piastri - 87

  10. Lance Stroll - 63

07:42 PM GMT

Toto is a furious man!

Not a happy bunny is Toto Wolff!

07:40 PM GMT

Bad day for Hamilton

07:39 PM GMT

This is how close it was between Alonso and Perez at the finish!

07:38 PM GMT

Miserable day for Russell

“Clearly we got something wrong this weekend, still we’re not too sure what that is as yet, but the pace just hadn’t been there. We thought yesterday may have been a one off, but clearly it wasn’t, so we need to regroup and try to understand it.

“12 months ago this was our strongest race of the year, 12 months later it’s by far our weakest race of the year, so very strange. The car was just slow this weekend. The tyres were sliding around and I think what we were doing was the maximum. Something doesn’t quite add up, you just don’t suddenly lose a second’s worth of performance and go from a podium fighting car to just fighting for points.

“We really need to sit down and understand, but clearly a massive one off this week.”

07:34 PM GMT

Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack talking to Sky Sports

07:32 PM GMT

5th place for Lance Stroll

07:30 PM GMT

Your reactions

Remember you can have your say in the comments section at the bottom of the blog.

07:28 PM GMT

Perez and Alonso battle right to the finish line

07:26 PM GMT

Alonso's 106th career podium

07:14 PM GMT

Where are we off to next?

Yes, that is correct. We are off to Vegas baby in a few weeks time!

07:14 PM GMT

Final podium place for Fernando Alonso

07:13 PM GMT

Second place for Lando Norris

07:13 PM GMT

The thoughts of Max Verstappen

07:12 PM GMT

The rest, including six DNF's

11. Logan Sargeant (Williams)

12. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

13. Daniel Ricciardo (Alpha Tauri)

14. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

DNF. George Russell (Mercedes)

DNF. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)

DNF. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)

DNF. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

DNF. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

DNF. Alex Albon (Aston Martin)

07:10 PM GMT

Bad day for Leclerc

07:10 PM GMT

Driver of the day

07:09 PM GMT

Top 10 classification

  1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

  2. Lando Norris, McLaren

  3. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

  4. Sergio Perez, Red Bull

  5. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

  6. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

  7. Pierre Gasly, Alpine

  8. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

  9. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

  10. Esteban Ocon, Alpine

07:02 PM GMT

Verstappen wins!

Max Verstappen wins the Brazilian Grand Prix ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez fight right to the line and Alonso gets third by under a tenth second. Norris has the fastest lap and that is his seventh podium of the season.

07:00 PM GMT

Lap 71/71

But Alonso is back into third into turn four on the last lap!

06:59 PM GMT

Lap 70/71

He can! He goes up the inside of Alonso into turn one. Alonso then gets DRS up towards turn four but Perez keeps third.

06:58 PM GMT

Lap 70/71

Two laps to go. Can Perez get past Alonso?

06:57 PM GMT

Lap 68/71

Norris is on course for his sixth 2nd place of the season and it has been another super drive from the McLaren man.

06:54 PM GMT

Lap 66/71

Perez has been in DRS range behind Alonso for quite a while but has still been unable to pass him.

06:50 PM GMT

Lap 63/71

Norris has just set a stonking new fastest lap of the race. 14 seconds behind him Perez is still putting pressure on Alonso but has not been able to make the move quite yet.

06:47 PM GMT

Lap 60/71

McLaren have decided now that they will box Norris and he comes in to the pits to put the softs on. He has a very comfortable gap back to Alonso so McLaren were able to be flexible there.

Perez nearly gets Alonso into turn one and four but the Spaniard just about holds on.

06:45 PM GMT

Lap 59/71

In theory Norris does not have to stop again as he has used two different compounds.

Meanwhile Russell’s nightmare is over as he is told to retire the car. He won here last year but today has been miserable for him.

06:42 PM GMT

Lap 57/71

Verstappen has come into the pits onto the soft tyres which means Norris now takes the lead of the race. McLaren would love to see a safety car come out right about now.

06:41 PM GMT

Lap 56/71

Perez is now right behind Alonso. Can he make the move into turn one? No he cannot but he has just set the fastest lap of the race.

06:38 PM GMT

Lap 54/71

Alonso’s teammate, Stroll, has come in but has a slow stop. He just about stays ahead of Sainz but only by just over a second. Perez is into DRS range behind Alonso.

06:36 PM GMT

Lap 52/71

Perez is now within two seconds of Alonso. Can the Mexican pass the Spaniard? Another Spaniard, Ferrari’s Sainz, comes in to the pits to put soft tyres on.

06:34 PM GMT

Lap 50/71

Gasly easily passes Hamilton well before turning into the opening corner. What has happened to Mercedes? This is a track they normally go well on but today has been a disaster for them.

06:33 PM GMT

Lap 49/71

Aston Martin have pitted Alonso, who comes back out three seconds ahead of Perez.

06:31 PM GMT

Lap 47/71

Mercedes have brought both of their drives into the pits after a difficult race for Hamilton and Russell. They are both now on softs as are Perez and Gasly.

06:25 PM GMT

Lap 44/71

Five drivers are out of this race so far; Albon, Leclerc, Magnussen, Zhou and Bottas. Russell’s race is going from bad to worse as Gasly goes past him now. What is happening to Mercedes today? Russell was told not long ago to do some lift and coasting and he is now back in 9th place.

06:21 PM GMT

Lap 40/71

Alfa Romeo now have a double retirement on their hands as they tell Bottas to retire the car.

06:18 PM GMT

Lap 37/71

Sainz has now overtaken two Mercedes drivers in the space of a few laps. This time it is on Hamilton into turn four, like Tsunoda’s move on Bottas just a few moments ago.

06:16 PM GMT

Lap 36/71

Tsunoda is up ahead of Bottas into 10th after successfully passing the Alfa Romeo driver into turn four.

06:15 PM GMT

Lap 35/71

Sainz is now ahead of Russell into 7th after overtaking him into turn one.

06:14 PM GMT

Lap 34/71

Perez is closing the gap to Alonso, who is currently in third place. Meanwhile the Mercedes are looking a fair bit off the pace and going backwards. Hamilton is 6th and Russell 7th, and they have the Ferrari of Sainz right behind them.

06:05 PM GMT

Lap 28/71

The top two make their way into the pits and both put the mediums on.

06:04 PM GMT

Lap 27/71

Just as I say that Sainz, Gasly and Tsunoda all make their way into the pitlane for their first stops.

06:03 PM GMT

Lap 26/71

Alonso is told to box by Aston Martin and he comes in to change to the medium tyres. He comes back out in sixth. Verstappen, Norris, Sainz, Gasly and Tsunoda all yet to come in to come off the soft tyre.

06:00 PM GMT

Lap 23/71

Perez does not have to wait too long to get back past Hamilton and he is back up into fourth before turn four. Zhou has had to retire from the race.

05:59 PM GMT

Lap 23/71

Hamilton is back under pressure from Perez and the Mercedes driver has been complaining about his left front.

05:57 PM GMT

Lap 21/71

Perez comes in amidst this chain reaction of pit-stops. But he has lost a place to Hamilton, who has managed to execute the undercut on the Mexican.

05:55 PM GMT

Lap 20/71

Mercedes bring Russell in a lap later and he too goes onto the medium tyres.

05:55 PM GMT

Lap 19/71

Hamilton has come into the pits and he drops down to 11th for the time being. He has switched onto the medium tyres.

05:53 PM GMT

Fraught radio message at Mercedes

Engineer: “George, we need more management. Turn 11, on throttle.”

George Russell: “Do you want me to race or concede positions? With more management I will go backwards.”

Engineer: “We do need to make sure these tyres make it through the stint. We do want to race but we want to make it through the stint.”

05:52 PM GMT

Lap 18/71

Perez into fourth! He has DRS down the main straight and gets up the inside of Hamilton into turn one.

05:51 PM GMT

Top five as it stands

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

  2. Lando Norris (McLaren)

  3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

  4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

  5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

05:50 PM GMT

Lap 16/71

A lap after Ocon came in, Alfa Romeo’s Zhou has now come into the pits. He is onto the medium tyres like Ocon.

05:49 PM GMT

Lap 15/71

Ocon has come into the pits from 11th place, perhaps to get into some free air.

05:48 PM GMT

Lap 14/71

Perez has been putting pressure on Russell for a few laps and he is through on the inside of turn one. Russell does then get DRS towards turn four but cannot retake the position so Perez is up into fifth.

05:47 PM GMT

Lap 13/71

Zhou has just overtaken Hulkenberg for 13th whilst Ocon thought he had Tsunoda for 10th but the Japanese driver keeps the place

05:45 PM GMT

Lap 12/71

The top three are pulling away with Hamilton in fourth just over three seconds behind Alonso. A DRS train has formed behind the seven-time champion which includes Russell, Perez, Stroll, Sainz and Gasly.

05:42 PM GMT

Lap 10/71

Verstappen has now got out of DRS range from Norris.

05:40 PM GMT

Lap 8/71

Norris is close to getting Verstappen into turn one and then into turn four.

05:39 PM GMT

Lap 7/71

Norris has just set the fastest lap and is in DRS range of Verstappen.

05:37 PM GMT

Lap 5/71

Piastri is the only man on the medium tyres. He is 16th with Ricciardo in 17th. Both drivers will be relieved to still be in this race thanks to that delay under the red flag.

05:35 PM GMT

Lap 4/71

Verstappen leads into turn one. Hamilton tried to go around the outside of Norris but fails. And then into turn four Alonso goes up the inside of Hamilton and into third place.

05:34 PM GMT

Second start of the race

Here we go, second standing start of the race. Verstappen first, Norris second, Hamilton third. Piastri and Ricciardo will restart from the pitlane.

05:32 PM GMT

Charles Leclerc speaking in the media pen

05:31 PM GMT

Back out on track

The drivers have left the pitlane and will go around for another formation lap. Then we will have a standing restart. Leclerc, Albon and Magnussen all out of this race.

05:29 PM GMT

Will Piastri and Ricciardo take the restart?

This is from the FIA:

“Any cars that were worked on in their garage during red flag period would be permitted to leave the pits with the field, but instead of going to the grid must return to, and take the restart from, the pit lane.”

Which means if Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo can take the restart, they will start from the pit lane. It looks like with this delay both drives will be able to continue in this race, which would not have been possible without the red flag.

05:24 PM GMT

Restart soon

We are set to get back underway in just under 10 minutes time. So both McLaren and AlphaTauri do not have long to repair Piastri and Ricciardo’s cars. Will they have enough time?

05:19 PM GMT

Provisional restart order

  1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

  2. Lando Norris, McLaren

  3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

  4. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

  5. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

  6. George Russell, Mercedes

  7. Sergio Perez, Red Bull

  8. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

  9. Esteban Ocon, Alpine

  10. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

05:08 PM GMT

Red flag

With so much debris on the track the stewards have decided to red flag the race. So can McLaren fix Piastri’s car in time? Alpha Tauri are also frantically working on Daniel Ricciardo’s car to see if they can fix whatever the problem is before racing resumes. Absolute chaos in Sao Paulo.

05:07 PM GMT

Piastri out

How unlucky for Piastri! He was ahead of the drama but got a whack from the back by Magnussen and has damage to his rear wing. He is out of the race.

05:06 PM GMT

Norris up to second

Whilst the chaos was going on in the midfield, Lando Norris made his way up the inside of Fernando Alonso and into second place. Great start for Norris!

05:05 PM GMT

Crash!

We are underway and we have a crash almost immediately. Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon have made contact and both are out before turn one. Safety car has been deployed.

05:03 PM GMT

Leclerc out

And Leclerc has pulled over and he is out! He was set to start on the front row but he will not start this race.

Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Lecler leaves the track after crashing at the start of the Formula One Brazil Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc was out before the race even began due to a hydraulics issue - Douglas Magno/Getty Images

05:02 PM GMT

Leclerc crashes!

Drama! Charles Leclerc is into the barriers in the infield section! He has managed to get the car going but how much damage is there? He has just said on the team radio he has lost the hydraulics

05:01 PM GMT

Formation lap

All 20 drives are making their way around the circuit on the formation lap. Everyone is starting on the soft tyres except Williams’ Logan Sargeant, who starts 19th.

04:58 PM GMT

Lights out moments away

04:57 PM GMT

Ted Kravitz on Sky Sports; problems for Gasly and Russell?

“During the national anthem, this sidepod of Pierre Gasly’s car was all the way off and they were ferreting around the radiators. A little fixing came loose, so only now have they managed to put that sidepod on and get Gasly ready to race.

“On George’s car, there was a problem front-right brake. It over-heated, they saw it on the laps to the grid and they had to change some sensors to make sure his brakes will be alright for the race.”

04:53 PM GMT

Felipe Massa talking to Sky Sports

“This grid is the most emotional grid for me after everything that I’ve been through here, and it’s great to be here to see friends like you and many people.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a nice race to watch.”

04:50 PM GMT

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur on Sky Sports

“With the regulations were allowed to change configuration [on cooling] and I think we are on the safe side for today.

“The most important is to have clean air and a proper stint. Yesterday we were fighting more in the field and you damage your tyres.

“I hope with Charles it will be a bit more clear.”

04:49 PM GMT

Rubens Barrichello chatting to Martin Brundle

04:47 PM GMT

Weirdness of the gridwalk

We have just been blessed by an interview between Martin Brundle and Machine Gun Kelly, which was interesting to say the least. Martin refused to do air piano whilst Machine did air guitar. Not sure that will go down as one of the most enthralling interviews of all time! Bless Martin, he tried his best!

04:44 PM GMT

Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich speaking to Sky Sports

04:42 PM GMT

Brazilian footballer Marta speaking to Sky Sports

On the grid Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle has just been speaking to Brazilian great Marta:

“For me it’s a huge pleasure to be here and wave the chequered flag.

“When you are here, in a place like this, you just think about Senna because he was the big icon here in Brazil. He still is, he’s big forever.”

04:30 PM GMT

Lights out 30 minutes away

04:17 PM GMT

Carnival atmosphere at Interlagos

04:16 PM GMT

Starting grid

04:13 PM GMT

Christian Horner speaking to Sky Sports about Daniel Ricciardo

04:11 PM GMT

Sky Sports' Martin Brundle

Lewis Hamilton has got the better this season of his teammate George Russell and Martin Brundle has been talking about Russell’s rough run:

“He’s up against one of the greatest of all time, and many people will say Lewis Hamilton is the greatest of all time.

“But he’s had a bit of a rough run, and sometimes if your chin drops a bit and if it’s not running with you, you tend to be a little bit tight in the car, or you just get unlucky.

“I think George has been through one of those patches where he’s made a couple of mistakes, a couple of errors of judgement, but he’s got all the speed, all the confidence and all the talent he needs to be in the business for a very long time.”

04:09 PM GMT

Hamilton buzzing for the race

Lewis Hamilton is an honorary citizen of Brazil and his idol is Ayrton Senna. Despite beating Brazil’s Felipe Massa to the 2008 World Championship on the last lap at Interlagos, he is very popular in Brazil and cannot wait for today’s race:

04:07 PM GMT

Lando Norris speaking to Sky Sports

McLaren’s Lando Norris starts sixth for today’s race after he along with his teammate were caught out by conditions in Q3 on Friday. He started yesterday’s sprint on pole and finishes second, showing very good pace. After a disappointing qualifying for today, Norris is confident that the pace is in the car, shown by yesterday’s display:

04:04 PM GMT

Verstappen wins sprint

The sprint race yesterday was won by Max Verstappen. He overtook McLaren’s Lando Norris, who started on pole for the sprint, into turn one and finished around four second clear of Norris. Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, finished third.

Verstappen spoke about the challenges of tyre management in the sprint.

“Initial getaway wasn’t that fantastic but the second bit was very strong and I could get alongside. Twenty-four laps around here is all about tyre management. Just incredibly difficult around here. Last year we were struggling with that already in the sprint and that’s why I was a bit careful.”

Norris also spoke about the hurdles of the sprint but was content with the pace of his car.

“It’s a tough circuit. You don’t feel like you can push anywhere. You do two laps and then you have no grip. You’re managing, you have one little wheelspin and it costs you 0.2-0.3secs.

“But it’s a positive race. We weren’t expecting to be anywhere close to the Red Bulls here. Today we were good compared to everyone except Max.”

03:59 PM GMT

Race preview

Max Verstappen will start today’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos on pole. In qualifying for today’s race on Friday, Verstappen and Red Bull got the strategy call correct as they made sure they were out early before the heavens opened towards the end of Q3.

Verstappen spoke after qualifying about the challenges of the whole qualifying sessions, especially with a storm on its way.

“The gaps were very small between everyone. Q1, Q2, you could see everyone was using a lot of tyre sets. It made it quite interesting.

“We lined up for Q3 and you could see the sky was just black. I was like: ‘Well, if that rain hits, it is going to be a lot.’

“We went for the lap. The first sector felt all right and the rest felt shocking. The rain was coming in. It was not hitting the track yet but the wind increased a lot and changed direction to a tailwind in the middle sector.

“I was shouting on the radio saying: ‘What the hell happened?’ We were nowhere, but the team said everyone was struggling. I have never seen such an influence on car balance.”

Red Bull's Max Verstappen looks on from the drivers parade prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil
Max Verstappen starts on pole for today's Brazilian Grand Prix - Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start on the front row alongside Verstappen. The Aston Martin duo of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso start third and fourth respectively.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton starts fifth but his teammate George Russell will start eighth instead of sixth after receiving a two-place grid penalty for impeding Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in the pitlane. Gasly himself as well as teammate Esteban Ocon also received penalties for the same offence.

McLaren were caught out by the conditions, with Lando Norris only qualifying seventh, which has become sixth after Russell’s penalty, and Oscar Piastri tenth, who spun at Junção, which caused major issues for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez who had to slow down under yellow flag conditions and starts ninth today.

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