Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggests that top athletes sometimes feel the world is against them, referencing the recent controversial incident involving Max Verstappen and George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen and Russell had two on-track clashes during the race after a late Safety Car period. The second contact at Turn 5, during their battle for fourth position, was described by the Mercedes driver as feeling “deliberate”.
Following the race, Verstappen admitted on Monday that his maneuver “shouldn`t have happened”. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed that his driver had apologized to the team.
Prior to Verstappen`s admission of fault, Wolff was asked about the reigning champion`s temperament, drawing on Mercedes` experience battling him intensely during the 2021 season.
He commented, “There`s a pattern that I`ve recognised with the great ones, whether it`s in motor racing or in other sports.”
“You just need to have the world against you, and then you perform at the highest possible level. That`s why, sometimes, these greats don`t recognise that, actually, the world is not against you, it`s just you who has made a mistake, or you`ve screwed up.”
Wolff added that this specific behaviour hasn`t been frequently seen from Verstappen in recent years, apart from 2021, and he wasn`t sure of its origin.
Wolff on Mercedes` Triple-Header Performance
Looking at Mercedes` own performance, Russell`s fourth-place finish in Spain was the team`s best result from the recent European triple-header. He finished seventh in Imola and eleventh in Monaco. His rookie teammate, Kimi Antonelli, did not score points in any of these races, encountering two engine failures and a challenging Monaco outing.
Wolff found it “difficult to see lots of positives” from the triple-header, noting that the only apparent improvement was a slightly better trajectory in tyre management.
He specifically mentioned the need to investigate Antonelli`s suspected engine failure in Spain, as powertrain reliability is typically a strength for Mercedes. Overall, he stressed the importance of understanding tyre behaviour, which he believes will be a crucial factor next year, alongside sporting and technical regulations.
Mercedes currently sits third in the Constructors` Championship, behind Ferrari and a significant 203 points adrift of leaders McLaren.
Wolff indicated that Mercedes appears to struggle more in hotter conditions where tyre degradation is high, a characteristic he feels is “dialled into the design” or part of the car`s “DNA”.
“Even though we are large organisations with many scientists and engineers, sometimes you don`t know why a car is doing something,” he explained, suggesting that even teams like McLaren might not fully understand why they are so fast, attributing their success to “marginal gains and the detail and just good engineering.”
He recalled Mercedes` historical issues with rear tyre overheating compared to competitors, performing better in colder conditions.
Wolff cited last year`s Las Vegas race as an example, where one of their drivers reported exceptional grip while others struggled significantly, illustrating an “intrinsic” car characteristic that setup changes can only partially influence.
