F1 News
Wolff confirms: 'New floor for Mercedes in Austin'
- Ludo van Denderen
Toto Wolff is likely to return to the Mercedes pit box in the United States. Although the team's big boss was physically absent for the last few races due to a recovery operation, in his own way he was still able to exert his influence on everything that happened on the track. Indeed, Wolff had recreated a pit wall at home so that he could take in all the available info.
From his living room, Wolff even had to get on George Russell's onboard radio during the Qatar GP because the Briton kept moaning too long about the crash with teammate Lewis Hamilton on the first lap. In principle, things should be a little easier for the thus-likely Austrian in Austin. In Texas, there is the start of the final triple-header of the season. "We have a busy couple of weeks coming up as the season heads towards its conclusion," Wolff observes.
'Qatar a missed opportunity for Mercedes'
Yet before the team boss looks ahead to the US Grand Prix, he wants to look back at Qatar. "The last round in Qatar was a case of what might have been. As a team, you never want to see your cars collide. It was frustrating to leave a lot of points on the table, particularly as the pace of the car was strong."
"It was encouraging though to see how the drivers and the team reacted. Both Lewis and George know the team comes first and do not ever intend to jeopardise that. I am sure we will all grow from this moment. We're now focused on Austin and making sure we get the most out of each upcoming weekend," Wolff said.
Latest updates for Mercedes
The Austrian says he is looking forward to the race at the Circuit of the Americas. He praises the "fantastic" atmosphere, adding that COTA is one of the most challenging tracks on the calendar. Mercedes will enter the race with a major update: "We'll be bringing a modified floor, which is the last significant update we will take to the track this year. It will hopefully bring a small gain but more importantly, is another milestone in setting our development path for W15."
For the rest of the current season, the goal is clear: "The battle for second in the Constructors' has become more intense in recent races. We will keep our heads down, keep pushing and aim to score as many points as we can to increase our advantage [over Ferrari]," concludes Wolff.