Toto Wolff expressed disappointment over another missed opportunity for Mercedes as Ferrari closed in on them in the battle for second place in the F1 Constructors’ Championship.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix proved challenging for the Mercedes team, with incidents involving George Russell and Lewis Hamilton disrupting their chances of a significant points haul. Russell, initially in contention for a podium finish, collided with Max Verstappen after the first pit stop, incurring a five-second time penalty.
Hamilton, recovering from a subpar qualifying position, suffered a puncture after contact with Oscar Piastri while attempting to make a move into the braking zone following the long straight. The end result saw Hamilton and Russell finishing in seventh and eighth place, respectively.
This outcome narrows the gap for Mercedes, as they are now just four points ahead of Ferrari heading into the final race in Abu Dhabi. Wolff’s rueful acknowledgment reflects the team’s frustration at missing out on valuable points and losing ground in the constructors’ championship battle.
Reflecting on the race, Wolff was visibly dejected.
“Not his fault. Sad to say yet another time we had pace but just no result,” he said.
“George after the incident with Verstappen when he got a penalty, that was pretty much game over. Also, he had pace at the front, maybe not Max, but it is what it is.
“We have seen pace-ish today. I think we can hopefully recover and score solid podiums [in Abu Dhabi].
Once again, Toto Wolff commended the Las Vegas event, expressing his satisfaction with the overall setup. However, he disclosed that if given the chance, he would consider adjusting the qualifying start time while indicating contentment with other aspects of the race format.
“I wouldn’t change a lot,” he added. “I would change qualifying maybe from midnight to 10pm, like the race start.
“So you can still have the roads open long at Vegas and have dinner for the fans. Other than that, it was a perfect event.”
