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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff decided to defend his drivers, highlighting that Russell and Hamilton were feeling unwell after the last race, which prevented them from attending the media debriefs. In a media interview, Wolff mentioned that they were experiencing symptoms similar to "borderline heatstroke."
He also stressed that neither Hamilton nor Russell were frustrated or angry about the race. George Russell finished fourth, while Hamilton ended up sixth. Wolff has often stood behind his drivers in the past, and this was no exception.
“They did not feel well, borderline heatstroke or something like that but they have had water,” Wolff said, as quoted by Crash.
“They would not have been able to go to the [media] pen. There were no bad feelings or any annoyance. It is just that we had the doctors with them. But they are all good.”
The race was quite demanding, and the weather conditions in Singapore were particularly difficult. The two British drivers representing Mercedes felt this firsthand. Wolff immediately confirmed that neither of them would be part of the media discussions.
“Unfortunately neither George or Lewis will be attending the media pen this evening as they recover from the exertions of this evening’s race.”- he said.
Wolff stressed that starting Hamilton on soft tires was ultimately a poor choice. The decision was based on previous races in Singapore, where the track is known for being difficult to overtake on, and they believed the soft tires would give him an advantage at the start. However, this proved to be the only opportunity for overtaking, and they collectively recognized that it was a mistake.
While there was a rationale behind the decision, the excessive tire degradation meant it backfired, causing Hamilton to lose positions. He emphasized that, despite the reasoning, it was clear that the car’s performance was lacking overall.
Mercedes fans were also left disappointed with the strategy, expecting much more than what they eventually received. McLaren and Red Bull performed best in this race, as anticipated. While many believed Max Verstappen had a strong chance of winning, Lando Norris ultimately proved himself and secured a well-deserved victory. The race was incredibly exciting, despite the fact that the Dutch driver has a huge advantage over his rivals.
A person who has been part of the F1 scene for years noted that the night wasn't ideal, considering they had a good starting position that went to waste. Toto Wolff expressed his dissatisfaction with the track conditions but emphasized that he doesn't want to make excuses for the poor performance, especially since other teams managed to achieve good results despite the challenges. He admitted that accepting certain realities in F1 can be tough, but he is trying to remain optimistic despite everything.
"It was a really painful evening. It is not about when you look at the positions, fourth and sixth, that is not good, especially when you are starting third and fourth.
The car... we struggle at the moment at tracks that are hot and are tough on traction - here and Baku. But this is no excuse.
It is just at the moment not what we expect from ourselves because if your quickest car is a minute behind the leader it is just difficult to accept."
Lewis Hamilton reacts
Lewis Hamilton is struggling to achieve good results this season, which is likely why he has decided to accept Ferrari's offer for next year. The experienced British driver admits he can't be happy with where they finished and the chances they had in this race. He points out that this season has been a huge challenge, but he doesn't want to give up, knowing that progress needs to come.
Lewis is still part of the team for this season and isn’t particularly worried about the team's future. However, there's no doubt about his commitment right now, as he has always pushed himself to achieve great results. Given the version of Lewis Hamilton we've seen over the years, it’s clear that this isn’t his best performance. Yet, he believes that everyone is in this together, and that harmony and teamwork could be crucial for the team moving forward.
"It is hard to describe the range of emotions you feel when we have a difficult race like that," he said.
"This year continues to be a testing one for everyone, but we are all pushing as hard as we can. We don't always get things right and that was the case today with our strategy.
"We all head into the weekend, and every decision we take, with the right intentions and sometimes it doesn't work out. It can be frustrating, but we are all in this together."
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