Why Toto Wolff is concerned about Verstappen despite P6 result in practice

F1 News

Toto Wolff saw Max Verstappen not driving at full power in FP2 Baku
13 September at 17:42
  • Nicole Mulder

Toto Wolff is left with mixed feelings about Friday in Baku. In the first two free practice sessions, Lewis Hamilton recorded times that placed him inside the top theee but George Russell struggled. At the same time, the Mercedes team boss is keeping a close eye on the competition: for instance, he noted that Max Verstappen was not driving with full power.

Wolff did not see Verstappen run at full power

For Russell, FP2 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix got off to a delayed start. "We had a leak and don't know exactly where it came from. We had to stop in the end," Wolff explained to the German branch of Sky Sports.

The Mercedes boss cannot make many assumptions about the performance order yet. However, he did notice something about Max Verstappen's lap times. "We are together, but it doesn't really read. Verstappen didn't even drive his lap with more power, I think. So it will be very close again," Wolff noted.

Both Verstappen and Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez were positive about their chances this weekend after FP2. Both drivers have a better feeling in their Formula 1 cars than they had in Monza, where Red Bull had their worst race weekend of the year so far.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton