Some good starting positions for the Austrian GP sprint race slipped out of Mercedes’ hands in an unexpected manner. Both Mercedes men Lewis Hamilton and George Russell made it to Q3. However, both of them slid and crashed out of the qualifying in Q3, effectively ending their session.
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Despite the crashes, the sessions weren’t a complete disaster for the Silver Arrows. Both Mercedes men recorded times before their crashes. Hamilton’s qualifying time was good enough for P10, and Russell’s was good enough for a P5. The young Brit compared to the world champion will start the 24-lap sprint in a much better position.
The two red flag incidents caused by the two Silver Arrows men quickly changed the mood in the paddock. The qualifying crashes have caused damage to the cars as well. This puts Mercedes in a tight situation, as the engineers will need to work tirelessly to get their cars ready ahead of the sprint.
Amid all this, a picture of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff circulating the internet has quickly become a meme. Captured smiling in his paddock, Toto Wolff was a cheerful man before the two incidents. Naturally, the smirk vanished from Wolff’s face after the two incidents and Twitter caught both the reactions.
Twitter users can’t help but compare the two reactions and the Twitter reactions are hilarious.
F1 Austrian GP puts Mercedes boss in two different worlds
The Mercedes boss quickly lived the expression “life comes at you fast.” Wolff captured the mood of the paddock and the sprint qualifying with his expressions.
It was not. https://t.co/Z6NiCqcgOF
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 8, 2022
Bono and Wolf now pic.twitter.com/ASnn64opKu
— MaZ_IKUL (@Mass_iCool) July 8, 2022
Mercedes in qualifying: pic.twitter.com/JXjzw6M41s
— Aldas🇱🇹 (@Aldas001) July 8, 2022
Max on pole. Lewis and George crash out.
Mercedes fans watching qualifying today… pic.twitter.com/MIcFSrjcRe
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) July 8, 2022
Even the Mercedes-AMG Petronas official Twitter page mocked the entire situation as the two men crashed out. The two were showing good speed until the crash. And now the sustained damage from the crashes will definitely hurt the team as they rush to get them ready before the sprint.
does it ever just how
drive you fast the
crazy night changes— out of context Toto Wolff (@askolatte) July 8, 2022
Toto Wolff right now#AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/cjZARREbHT
— Satan (@realS8ten) July 8, 2022
“Don’t show them our true pace until race day” – Toto Wolff
— siriandavis.eth (@siriandavis_) July 8, 2022
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Qualifying 2 vs Qualifying 3 pic.twitter.com/vRSzqoyFIo
— Karan (@Karan8263) July 8, 2022
The back-to-back crashes were painful and might prove expensive for Mercedes. However, the Twitter users absolutely loved the reactions of the Austrian in the Mercedes paddock.
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Watch This Story: 2021 Rivals Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Giggle Over F1 Struggles In Wholesome Moment
Although Russell finds himself in a much more favorable grid spot, Hamilton would have to put up a greater fight to challenge the front runners. However, let’s not count him out just yet, as how can we forget his incredible outing at the 2021 Brazilian Sprint Race, where is ended up P5 starting from the very back of the grid?