Wolff explains why Mercedes changed Hamilton's setup in China
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton finished second in the sprint race on Saturday but got stuck behind an Alpine car during the Chinese Grand Prix. Mercedes made a set-up change between the sprint race and qualifying, which turned out to be a disaster. Toto Wolff has given an honest assessment of the Mercedes W15 and explained why the German team opted to make the change.
Hamilton called it the worst setup he has ever had in 337 Grands Prix. The seven-time World Champion felt optimistic after the sprint race but came crashing down with a mistake in qualifying. Wolff demands his team to "dig deep" ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
"We have something coming [upgrade] for Miami that looks like a good set. Let's see where that brings us out," Wolff told Sky Sports after the Chinese Grand Prix. The team boss then explained the changes made.
Why did Mercedes change Hamilton's set-up?
"It's not an okay car. We wanted to go a bit more aggressive to see. Is it something that is so different that we need to do all the time? And, yes, you can see Lewis today, who took it. So that was maybe a step too far. The race car was not fast because I hear him saying the car doesn’t turn around the track. This is what we are seeing on the data. It just wasn't the right thing to do," Wolff said.
Mercedes have scored just 52 points in five race weekends. They have dropped behind Ferrari and customers McLaren. Fernando Alonso, who also uses a Mercedes engine, is ahead of Hamilton in the drivers' World Championship and only two points behind George Russell.