Mercedes, Toto Wolff believes in it
The first two races of the season have reaffirmed McLaren’s technical superiority, which was already evident in Bahrain testing. The Woking-based team has done the best job over the winter, and with a top-level simulator-to-track correlation, it has proven to rarely make mistakes when introducing upgrades to the car.
Behind McLaren, the hierarchy is much harder to predict. Depending on the track and the effectiveness of the driver-car package, Ferrari, Mercedes, or Red Bull could emerge as the second-best team. However, one undeniable fact is that the only driver outside of the “papaya” cars to secure a podium in both Grands Prix has been George Russell, who has been practically flawless at the start of the season.
Toto Wolff’s words
Russell’s two third-place finishes have given confidence to the Brackley team, which perhaps expected to be further behind in the Constructors’ Championship (currently second, 21 points adrift). For Team Principal Toto Wolff, China marked a major step forward: “I wouldn’t say we’re in the fight yet, but we’re not far off either. Maybe now the gap is a couple of tenths rather than a full second like in Melbourne.” – he pointed out.
“We were clearly the second-fastest team in Shanghai, and that’s another solid result,” added the Austrian, who also praised George Russell’s performance. “George’s driving was a perfect 10, and I rarely give that score. But he extracted the absolute maximum from the car. So far, I think there are reasons to be excited for the future.” – the Mercedes team boss concluded ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, which is set to take place this weekend at the Suzuka circuit.
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