Wolff: 'We are never complacent. We are always humble about it'
- GPblog.com
It was only qualifying for the sprint race, but for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton's first place felt like a victory. For the first time in a long time, both Hamilton and his engineer could be heard ecstatically on the onboard radio, and the entire team celebrated the first place as a hard-earned victory.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is also overjoyed with the good result. "It's good to come back especially the pace of both drivers. Lewis could have probably been three tenths up if it was not for the rallying at the end," he said to Sky Sports.
Wolff: Pleased with this result, but Mercedes always remains humble
"I am happy about the pace. Its not the upgrade, we just find bit everywhere and I think the tyres were in the right window and the sweet spot of the car. You can see how it fluctuates with Verstappen being dominant in the morning session then it swings the other way around," continued the Austrian.
He points out that Mercedes have been more affected by the rule changes than expected. "A change of regulations that bite us more than we expected. Its something to learn. And we are behind but we learnt how to react. It helps you say in the fight and I am happy how we have reacted. We see it as a test because we had 7 championships in a row. We are never complacent. We are always humble about it. Worrying that someone could catch us up and then this year with a change of regulations," Wolff said.