Wolff held himself back at Silverstone after Austria mistake: 'No need'

09:30, 08 Jul 2024
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Toto Wolff himself spoke of "the stupidest thing" he had done in 12 years at the helm of the Mercedes F1 team. At the moment when Lando Norris and Max Verstappen dropped away from leading position just over a week ago and George Russell became the front-runner, Wolff sought contact with the Briton at the wrong moment. Russell could have crashed just like that, the team boss later concluded. At Silverstone, Wolff was able to control himself.
After the Austrian Grand Prix, Wolff admitted that he almost caused Russell to crash out. "I am forever ashamed of this because you always look where your driver is. You don't do it (talk to them, ed.) when braking or in a high-speed corner. But I didn't look on the GPS where he was. I saw the two eliminating each other, we reacted to that and I pushed the button in my enthusiasm."

Wolff was able to hold back at Silverstone

In England, Russell dropped out early and this time it was Lewis Hamilton who ran away with the win. The moment the Briton took the lead, Wolff could have decided to press the button on the former champion's on-board radio, encouraging him. But this time the team boss was able to hold back.
"No, I think there was no need today. I put the finger on the button. When the race was finished, I said what I wanted to say and that's good," laughed Wolff, who thus got to celebrate two wins in a row. Mercedes had not taken a win for two years prior to the Austrian Grand Prix, but after the British race, the conclusion seems justified that the team is back at the head of the field.
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This article was written in collaboration with Sophia Crothall.
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