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Wolff on Finish: Would have been more important in 2021 …
The race ended yesterday behind the safety car. “Well, I would have preferred if that had happened in 2021,” says Toto Wolff referring to the controversial 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
“That would have been more important,” says Wolff, who however emphasizes: “It’s good that the regulations were followed. Sometimes that doesn’t lead to the most exciting finale.”
“From a spectacle point of view, surely everyone would have liked to see Lewis on soft tires competing against us and maybe in a duel with Leclerc. But it’s a sport,” stresses the Mercedes team principal.
“The show follows the sport and not the other way around. Therefore, it’s good that the FIA made this decision,” says Wolff.
Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: Is reliability costing Mercedes the title?
Montoya calls for rule change
The penalty against Kimi Antonelli yesterday is causing discussions. While it was correct according to the regulations, Juan Pablo Montoya says on F1 TV: “If you exceed the track limits and lose time because you go too far outside, that should actually not be counted as exceeding track limits.”
The expert emphasizes: “There should be a rule that says: If you leave the track and gain an advantage, that should be counted as exceeding track limits. But if the car has a problem and you get penalties because of that, that should actually not be a penalty.”
Currently, the regulations do not make a distinction. Due to the five-second penalty, Antonelli fell out of the points yesterday.
Red Bull: Spa will probably be difficult too
Red Bull could not fight for the win in Silverstone. And Laurent Mekies fears that the picture will be similar again at the next race in Spa.
He explains: “On tracks where energy is particularly limited, we seem to struggle more compared to the competition.”
And Spa falls into this track category alongside Silverstone. “That doesn’t mean we give up,” Mekies stresses and explains that they will still fight.
“But it’s true that in character it will probably be quite similar [to Silverstone],” says the team principal. Hopefully it will get better in Hungary.
Racing Bulls close in on Alpine
The team of the hour (at least in the midfield) is currently the Racing Bulls. In Silverstone, they brought both cars into the points for the fourth race in a row yesterday. In the championship, they have thus closed to within one point of Alpine in the fight for P5.
“Another almost perfect weekend for us,” says team principal Alan Permane and explains: “The strategy was exactly right, the pace was excellent, and we put ourselves in a position to make the best of the opportunities during the race.”
So through all the chaos, the team from Faenza ended up with P6 and P7. The racing team is thus heading for the best championship result in its history.
Because they have never gone beyond P6 in the world championship since Red Bull took over the team in the 2006 season. Now P5 is within reach.
Williams: No progress
Williams draws a sobering conclusion after the weekend. “Although we improved the car’s performance this weekend and took a small step forward, others are making much bigger leaps than us,” admits James Vowles.
Williams brought a new front wing to the car in Silverstone but still had no chance of points. “We need to take a closer look at that – and find out if we really got the performance we expected,” says the team principal.
Carlos Sainz also admits: “This weekend was much harder than we expected and hoped. We need to focus on what is wrong with the car and also analyze why the upgrade did not bring the expected performance. So this is a wake-up call for us.”
Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: Is Reliability Costing Mercedes the Title?
The ratings are here!
Also this weekend, our editorial team and our expert Marc Surer have rated the drivers again for their performance. What came out of it, you can find out now in our photo gallery.
Here you can also give your own ratings.
Silverstone: Driver ratings by Marc Surer and the editorial team
Both Alpines in the points
After the zero score in Spielberg, both Alpine drivers made it back into the top 10 yesterday. However, the result does not reflect the true pace, as both drivers benefited from the chaotic final phase.
“Finally, after a difficult weekend for the team, we have a reason to smile again,” says Franco Colapinto after P9. He admits, however, that they “had some luck.”
Also in the duel against his teammate, who finished tenth. Actually, Pierre Gasly was ahead of Colapinto, but he explains: “During our pit stop, there was a system malfunction that cost us a lot of time and ultimately our position on the track.”
“Ultimately, we just tried to limit the damage, and one point is our reward,” says Gasly.
Vasseur: Mercedes still ahead
The Ferrari team principal does not want to overrate Leclerc’s win yesterday. “Honestly, I think Mercedes still has an advantage,” says Vasseur, who therefore does not want to look at the championship standings.
“Let’s focus on Belgium. Let’s have a good race,” he stresses and reminds that Mercedes was also ahead in Silverstone in the sprint and qualifying.
Therefore, one must be “realistic” and acknowledge that Mercedes still has “a small advantage” in pure pace. But yesterday’s race showed that they can still be beaten.
Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: Is reliability costing Mercedes the title?