Wolff explains risk: 'At worst P5, at best a win'

Mercedes AMG F1 got involved in the battle for victory in the Singapore Grand Prix. To get into that position, the team undertook a risky strategy. Team boss Toto Wolff explains why he and his team took the risk.

'Mercedes would not win race just like that'

Under the Virtual Safety Car on lap forty, Mercedes opted to bring in both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for fresh tyres. This significantly widened the gap to the front-runner, consisting of Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz in the lead. Due to the speed on fresh rubber, Mercedes appeared to have a good chance of victory in the end because of that decision.

Together, the Mercedes duo advanced to take the win from Sainz. Wolff explained to Sky Sports: "It was so difficult to win the race if we were just starting. So we said, let's go for it. The data was robust, we went for it, and, in the end, it was a podium for Lewis, so that's great."

Mercedes had little to lose

Wolff calls the strategy the right choice and also thinks the team would not have gotten this far without the tyre change. Wolff: "No, I don't think we would have been able to. That's why we took the risk. We knew the worst case was finishing third and fifth, but the best case was a win." Hamilton grabbed a podium because teammate Russell crashed on the last lap, pushing the seven-time F1 champion up one place.

Asked if Wolff is going to have another conversation with Russell and give him a heads-up after that crash, the team boss says: "I think as a driver, you'll never stay in such a moment, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."