Mercedes Boss Warns Max Verstappen Of Turn 1 With Lewis Hamilton-George Russell Game-Plan

As the Mexican Grand Prix is all set to start in a few hours, the rivalry between Mercedes and Red Bull continues to grow. The Silver Arrows boss man has a rather aggressive directive for his drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell as they take the wheel for the race today.

On the starting grid, we have the Red Bull golden boy, Max Verstappen on pole position. However, right after him, in P2 and P3 stand the Mercedes boys- George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

As per reports, The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has the longest run to a first corner. Ergo, if either of the Silver Arrows manages a tow behind the double champion, it could lead to a chaotic start for the Dutch Lion.

In an interview, Toto Wolff was questioned if he was confident that his drivers would beat the Red Bull man. He said, in response, “[There are] Only a handful of occasions in my life when I’ve been confident of something in Formula 1. I’m annoyed about not being on pole because it would have ticked the box.”

“So starting second and third can be advantageous, and I hope we can stick our nose – or both noses into turn one – and then disappear in the distance,” he said in conclusion.

Read More: 8X Mercedes Champ & Billionaire Toto Wolff Reveals Lunch-Time Story With “Richest Man in the World” as the Roots to His F1 Success

However, Wolff also admitted this to be a rather difficult approach for them nonetheless.

Mercedes has always struggled with races in Mexico

Considering the fact that the Mexican circuit is at a high altitude, Mercedes seems to struggle with gaining speed as they usually do otherwise.

However, the low air density is going to be a boon for the Silver Arrows W-13, as well as, a powerful engine that is ready to pull through and take off.

Toto shared, “For many years, Mexico wasn’t a good place for us because of the altitude. But the power unit guys have really given us a super-strong engine. We suffer less from our draggy car here, whilst running high downforce like all the others, and generally that has been a better place for us in the past.”

As per Wolff, Hamilton has been vocal about the engine’s shortcomings that have restricted him from challenging the Dutch Lion. However, they have been actively working on improving this and have even bigger plans for 2023.

Watch This Story: Rules Regulations of Controversial F1 Budget Cost Cap

With just a few hours to go, the Mexican Grand Prix may shape up to be a dramatic set of events. With Verstappen in the middle of the budget cap hate-drama against the Austrian team, and Mercedes ready to corner him- we’d have to wait and find out how things unravel.