Wolff understands rules, but 'losing a podium hurts'

It was a weekend of extremes for Mercedes. Toto Wolff's team made a big step forward in the United States with the update to the floor, but with Lewis Hamilton's disqualification, no tangible result was achieved as a result. A further challenge awaits Wolff and his men in Mexico, where Formula 1 is a guest this weekend.

"Austin was a weekend of mixed feelings. The positives are that the upgrade looks to have given us a step forward in terms of performance. Our pace was strong all weekend and it was encouraging to be in the fight for victory," said Wolff. "The negative was of course failing to capitalise on our pace with the result. Losing a podium finish hurts and is not a position we want to find ourselves in. The complexities of a sprint weekend and a bumpy circuit caught us out. But rules are rules. We will learn from this and improve. Now we move on to the next race"

And so that race is in Mexico. Hamilton finished second here a year ago, well behind Max Verstappen. "Mexico is always an exciting weekend. The fans are super passionate and energetic. The venue also presents a unique challenge with the high altitude. It has a major impact on how we operate the car, and it is always a challenge to find the optimum solution."

Anyway, in Mexico there should be confirmation that the update really works, and was not a fluke in Austin. "It will also be a good test of our upgrade package; seeing how it performs at a circuit with very different characteristics. That will be useful for our continued learning and development for W15. Finally, FP1 will see Fred Vesti in the car for one of our two mandatory rookie sessions. He has acquitted himself well in Formula 2 and I am sure he will do a good job for the team," Wolff said.