F1 News

Wolff reacts to McLaren performance in Imola

Painful realisation for Wolff: He admits McLaren show 'that is possible'

19 May at 18:00
  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing have consistent challengers: last week in Miami, the Dutchman was beaten, and in Imola, he was pushed hard until the very last lap of the race. Toto Wolff and Mercedes are having to watch their customers, McLaren, fight against Verstappen rather than do it themselves. Wolff has now had a painful moment of realisation.

Wolff watches on from a distance

Mercedes missed the mark with the 2022 rule and regulation changes, but were firmly ahead of McLaren. Fast forward to 2024 and McLaren are seemingly ready to take the fight to World Champions Red Bull consistently. Zak Brown is very confident McLaren will be able to win races during the rest of the 2024 Formula 1 season, and he senses blood. Meanwhile, Wolff has to watch on as Mercedes continues to linger at the bottom of the points-paying positions.  

"I think it's a fantastic recovery story. When you look at where McLaren was twelve months ago, I think they barely got out of Q1, and now they're literally fighting fair and square for ace victories. The car is not only fast, but it's also very good on the tyres. We see the engine, and the engine is good on the tyres as well. They made the recovery from a real back marker to a front runner within twelve months," Wolff told the press in Imola, including GPblog.

Mercedes have been experimenting and bringing various upgrades to the circuits over the last two years, but none of them have provided the team with a significant step. They now sit firmly as the fourth-fastest team on the grid. But Wolff is looking at McLaren and using that to inspire his team.

"That's something we are looking at and saying it is possible, with the right steps, to hopefully move forward," Wolff concluded.

McLaren have now scored nearly double the amount of points Mercedes have within the opening seven races of the season. Fernando Alonso, who also uses a Mercedes engine, has only scored two fewer points than Lewis Hamilton.