Toto Wolff defiant after Lewis Hamilton British GP pace - 'We were never complacent'
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Friday’s performance has stirred the soul of Mercedes, as Lewis Hamilton starts from the front of the grid for Saturday’s sprint race at Silverstone, ahead of the British Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton, cheered on by home fans, set the pace on Friday in a new trial format taking place across the weekend, which sees Friday’s qualifying set the grid for Saturday’s 17 lap race, with the results determining the grid on Sunday.
The Briton currently sits 32 points behind Max Verstappen in the driver standings, with Red Bull pulling out a 44 lead in the team standings thanks to five wins on the bounce from the Milton Keynes-based team.
Yet, at a track that suits Mercedes with nine pole positions in a row, with seven wins alone for Hamilton at Silverstone, Wolff admits perhaps the tides are turning.
Asked by Sky Sports F1 if the result ‘stirred the soul’ of the team, Wolff replied: “Yeah, it does.
“It is good to come back, especially the pace of both drivers. Lewis could have probably been another three-tenths up if it wouldn’t have been for the rallying at the end. So it is good, I am happy about the pace.”
