Following some striking remarks made by Lewis Hamilton during the Monaco Grand Prix, Toto Wolff has emphasized that there is no favoritism at work in the Mercedes camp. The seven-time world champion implied that George Russell had an undisclosed advantage when his teammate outqualified him for the eighth time in eight races.
Russell leads the qualifying head-to-head 7-1 after eight rounds of the 2024 campaign, despite Hamilton’s constant superiority in race trim this year. Although the two have a cordial relationship and tensions have not yet shown, the seasoned British player was not thrilled with his defeat to his compatriot on Saturday.
In Monte Carlo, he remarked, “I don’t know if it’s a turn-down or something, but performance comes away from my car for some reason.” “I anticipate it right now. I always know that I’m going to lose a few tenths when I get to qualifying.
The 39-year-old then gave a pessimistic appraisal of his prospects of qualifying. He clarified, “I don’t expect to qualify ahead of George this year.” Hamilton hesitated before responding in a cryptic way when pressed to elaborate on his remarks: “We will see.”
After Russell and Hamilton converted their respective P5 and P7 grid places into finishing positions, Mercedes ultimately had one of their best weekends of the season; nevertheless, considering the latter’s very suggestive remarks, the atmosphere in the camp was somewhat depressing.
In response to Hamilton’s assertions, Wolff argued, “Aren’t all drivers a little skeptical at times? As a team, I believe we have shown that we constantly strive to strike the appropriate balance and to be open and honest, even in the most intense rivalries amongst teammates.
“I don’t believe we’ve ever attempted to oversee a race, with the exception of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2016.” I can see why, as a driver, you want the best for the team and yourself, and that you could doubt things when things aren’t going your way.
“But as a team, we are fully committed to providing the two drivers with two fantastic cars, the best cars available, as well as the best strategies and support.”
After Monaco’s parade, Hamilton will make his way back to the Grand Prix triumph site the next weekend, but the great British driver is not looking forward to it. “I can’t wait to visit Canada,” he declared. “I wouldn’t say I’m excited about the prospect of racing there.”
