Mercedes seemed to be on track in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, but in Q3 things went completely wrong. First Lewis Hamilton went off the track and not long after George Russell put the second W13 into the wall. Team boss Toto Wolff is not very strict with his two drivers.
Mercedes seemed to be on track in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, but in Q3 things went completely wrong. First Lewis Hamilton went off the track and not long after George Russell put the second W13 into the wall. Team boss Toto Wolff is not very strict with his two drivers.
The Austrian boss says that these are personal mistakes by Hamilton and Russell, but adds, "We gave them ten weekends in a row with a car that wasn't up to par, and now that we are starting to get even and we are in front, it can happen that you lose the car. I'd rather have a fast car and a qualifying like that than not have the pace to be in the top four," Wolff told Sky Sports.
At least Wolff was optimistic about Mercedes' speed. "Yes, we are surprised. Spielberg has always been a race where we struggle, even on our best days we weren't doing very well, so we didn't expect to take another step forward in terms of performance. But slowly things are coming together," he said.
Russell finally set the fifth fastest time, while Lewis Hamilton will start tenth at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday for the short race. It remains to be seen whether the seven-time world champion will actually start from the grid. If the damage is too severe, a pit start is also a possibility: "We shall see.