After two victories in a row Mercedes had to settle for third in the Hungarian GP with Lewis Hamilton, as George Russell only managed eighth. There was a hairy moment however late in the race when Max Verstappen overzealously tried to overtake Hamilton for far out, leading to contact between the two rivals. The Dutchman took a little air, whereas Hamilton only had some superficial damage to his right front wheel.
Teamboss Toto Wolff, while not impressed by Verstappen’s antics, was primarily happy that they managed to bring home a podium, especially when both McLaren and Red Bull were faster than the Brackley outfit.
“At that stage, I think we struggled a whole lot and he just launched himself. I think there was some context, but he wasn’t happy at all. The race was happening and he launched himself and locked the wheels and basically went straight and hit Lewis.
“I’m not sure we were quicker than Max today. We beat him on the track. If you start at the same time, a pure race, for his time, probably not.
“But what we have to acknowledge is that McLaren are clearly now leading the field under any conditions. They deserve a one and two and that is the new benchmark. It’s great that we have another team that has made that jump and been able to score first and second.
“It’s good for all of us, but under these conditions we just never would have been able to reach them. I’m happy for them. I’ve seen the movie that they’ve had themselves in.”
Currently fourth in the constructors’ standings, Wolff is not really sure what the target for this season can be for Mercedes, but he reckons third is the most realistic option.
“It’s difficult to put targets out because it swings a lot,” the Austrian explains. “It’s going upgrade to upgrade, but I think if we were to say what is a realistic to optimum scenario today, it would probably be to be three in the championship. It’s difficult to catch Red Bull, and McLaren is now the benchmark. Therefore, I think that would be a good target. But it’s not easy.”
Asked whether the expectations were higher coming off two victories, Wolff replied that they expected the weather and tarmac in Hungary would not suit the W15.
“It’s in humans’ mind to set you expectations based on what you just achieved. But it was clear that Budapest and the heat, the open tarmac is something that’s not going to be so good for us. And probably more play into the hands of other teams.
“So taking away even a podium, a hard-fought podium… Unfortunately, with George yesterday, we lost the race. It’s good and I’m looking forward to Spa.
“Hopefully, we’ll see whether we can maintain this level of performance.”
