Wolff puts rivals on notice for Italian GP: 'Only offset in Zandvoort'
F1 News
Mercedes were the in-form team going into the summer break, having won three out of the previous four Grands Prix, but struggled for performance in last week's Dutch Grand Prix. Team boss Toto Wolff expects that to be a one-off issue.
Mercedes won in Austria, Britain and Belgium before the summer break. They even achieved a one-two across the finish line in Spa, such was the pace of the Mercedes around the high-speed track. Russell lost his win due to a disqualification but no one could doubt just how strong Hamilton and Russell were in Spa. Wolff hopes that level will return at Monza, the temple of speed.
"I would very much hope that we can come back to the performances that we've shown in Spa. But it's not only that, it's high-speed track versus what we had in Zandvoort, because our car was competitive for practically all of the last few races. It's just here [Zandvoort] it was completely offset. So we've just got to get it right and then we can play with the music again," Wolff told GPblog and others in the paddock.
Mercedes set to delight the Italian fans
Lewis Hamilton will compete in his last race in Italy on behalf of Mercedes. Next year, he will return to Italian soil as a Ferrari driver, so the Tifosi will be pleased to support there future driver in 2024. Wolff also acknowledges the second trick he has up his sleeve. Young Italian driver Kimi Antonelli will drive in FP1.
"I think there will be lots of Lewis fans cheering for him, and there will be lots of Kimi fans," Wolff concluded.