Despite another podium for Kimi Antonelli and five points gained on Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff believes Mercedes missed out on an even better result in Hungary.
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Kimi Antonelli may have extended his lead at the top of the world championship, but Toto Wolff refuses to get carried away by this result. The Mercedes boss believes his team had the means to achieve a better performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where the young Italian ultimately finished third.
Thanks to this new podium, the ninth of his season, Antonelli increased his lead over Lewis Hamilton from 45 to 50 points before the summer break. A positive outcome on paper, but one that leaves an unfinished taste for the Austrian leader.
Antonelli delivered a champion’s race
Starting only seventh on the grid, Antonelli managed to climb up to third place during a weekend where Ferrari seemed to have the most competitive car.
When asked about the quality of his driver’s performance, Toto Wolff did not hesitate to praise it: “Absolutely.”
The Mercedes boss however reminds that Ferrari seemed to have all the cards in hand before the race.
“Lewis was the big favorite to win this race after the free practice and Saturday morning qualifying session. In the end, we come away with a few extra points.”
Indeed, Hamilton saw his chances of victory vanish after a three-place grid penalty, then a five-second race penalty, which ultimately dropped him to fifth place.
“The glass is still half empty”
Despite this favorable scenario for Antonelli in the championship, Wolff did not hide his frustration.
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True to his high standards, the Austrian leader considers that Mercedes let second place slip away due to unfavorable race circumstances, notably a strategy that did not fully pay off and the intervention of a virtual safety car at the wrong moment after Oscar Piastri’s retirement.
“It’s a good thing, but I’ve always been somewhat pessimistic. I always see the glass as half empty.”
Before adding frankly:
“We could have finished second. We should have finished second.”
A positive assessment nonetheless before the break
While Wolff regrets this missed opportunity, he nevertheless acknowledges that Mercedes leaves Budapest in a favorable position in the championship.
The difficulties encountered by Hamilton allowed Antonelli to slightly increase his lead in the overall standings, a result that the German team’s boss ultimately considers satisfactory.
“In the end, Lewis suffered several penalties. If we take the overall weekend into account, we can go home saying that it’s a decent result in terms of points for Kimi.”
This analysis perfectly illustrates Toto Wolff’s philosophy. Even when Mercedes secures a podium and consolidates its position in the title fight, the leader prefers to focus on what could have been improved rather than on the positive aspects.
A constant demand that largely explains why the Brackley team remains, year after year, one of the benchmarks in Formula 1.
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