Wolff: "Our rivals didn't maximise the opportunity we gave them"

Rollercoaster of emotions

"Imola was a crazy race and the kind of Grand Prix that will stay in the memory for a long time," Wolff looked back on the weekend in a Mercedes press release. "There were so many ups and downs and there were a few moments where it felt like we wouldn't score any points at all. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, from the disappointment over Valtteri's scary accident to the excitement over Lewis' recovery drive."

Leading the championship

After Hamilton made a mistake, a red flag came due to the crash of Bottas and George Russell. This allowed Hamilton to start a catch-up race from spot nine. He eventually finished second and drove the fastest lap keeping both Hamilton and Mercedes at the head of the championship.

"The fact that we were able to lead both championships almost felt like a 'get out of jail free card'," explained Wolff. "Our rivals didn't maximise the opportunity we gave them. And it just proves that we have a challenging season ahead of us and how quickly everything can turn around in Formula One."

Exciting battle in Portugal

Last season was Formula 1's first in Portimao and Wolff looks back on it with pleasure. "It's an exciting, undulating circuit and it delivered a great race in 2020; we also saw during qualifying and the opening laps that it's not easy to get the tyres to work properly."

So the circuit is still relatively new to everyone. "That will make it interesting and that means we still have to learn all weekend." Wolff expects another exciting battle with Red Bull Racing this coming weekend. "But also McLaren and Ferrari can get involved in the battle. So, let's see how things will play out in Portugal."