Lewis Hamilton & Toto Wolff Issue Contrasting Statements as Mercedes Plots Serious Comeback Against Max Verstappen & Co.

Things change in Formula 1 at lightning speed. Whether it be drivers’ allegiances or a team’s performance. And what a difference a couple of years can make. Till two years ago, it was Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes dominating the field, and the rest of the field was trying to catch them. And now, in 2023, Max Verstappen and Red Bull are the benchmark, with Mercedes and Aston Martin playing catch-up.

After having dominated the turbo-hybrid era from 2014 to 2021—winning seven Drivers’ Championships and all eight Constructors’ Championships—Mercedes is nowhere near Red Bull this season. And that came as a shock to the Brackley team when the season started. But since then, it has worked toward revamping its W14 and brought in new upgrades that have helped close the gap with Red Bull. But it still has work to do.

Lewis Hamilton isn’t too optimistic about a race win this year

It’s weird when a seven-time world champion has accepted the fact that winning a race this year might be out of his reach. But that’s how good Red Bull has been this year. The Milton Keynes team has won all eight races that have happened so far this season, with Verstappen winning six. This season for Red Bull is reminiscent of its 2013 season when Sebastian Vettel won nine races in a row and secured his fourth and final championship. This dominance is what Mercedes is trying to break. While Toto Wolff is optimistic, Hamilton knows they still have a long way to go.

In an interview during the Canadian GP weekend, Toto Wolff was asked if Mercedes were to win a race this season, where would it be. Wolff was quick to answer, “Silverstone.” Silverstone, home of the British GP, has been known to be a Mercedes stronghold for years. Even when the Mercedes isn’t at the top of its game (like in 2022), Hamilton squeezed out a podium finish. So it makes sense that Wolff chose Silverstone as its most likely chance for a race win.

However, Lewis Hamilton doesn’t feel the same about Mercedes’ chances, though. In an interview after the race in Montreal, he talked about Red Bull’d dominance and Mercedes’ performance in comparison. He said, “There’s nothing I can do about their incredible performance. They are likely to win every race, unless Aston and we develop much more or they retire.” [Translated by Google]

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While Aston Martin and Mercedes have made steps to close the gap, they’re still no match for Red Bull. The Briton added, “It’s not easy with the regulations to find the amount of performance they have, in terms of the advantage.” While he’s aware Mercedes has work to do, the team is working toward a comeback by the end of the year.

Lewis Hamilton tried using dirty tactics to get an edge over Red Bull

Before the podium ceremony at the Canadian GP, Hamilton—who finished P3—headed up to the cool-down room to find race-winner Max Verstappen recovering from the race. Seeing an opening, Hamilton started asking the Dutchman questions about his RB19 challenger and its performance during the race, but Verstappen didn’t give away too much.

Daniel Ricciardo, who was hosting a watch-along, picked up on what Hamilton was trying to do, implying that he was trying to take advantage of a dehydrated Verstappen to relay the information back to the Mercedes garage. Ricciardo even mentioned that drivers can never get too complacent and give away information about their cars.

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With Mercedes’ recent upgrades that have closed the gap to Red Bull, will the Brackley outfit be able to win a race this season and catch up to Red Bull by the end of the year?