Mercedes' Toto Wolff won't be standing post in Brazil

©Mercedes

Mercedes AMG F1 boss Toto Wolff won't be attending this week's Brazilian Grand Prix, the Austrian missing a race with his team for the first time since 2013.

While it will be business as usual for the freshly crowned Silver Arrows outfit and its drivers at Interlagos, Wolff will remain in Europe to focus on "other open topics".

"Brazil will also be the first race since 2013 that I won't attend," Wolff revealed in Mercedes Brazilian Grand Prix preview.

"With both championships secured, it gives me more time in Europe to focus on other open topics.

"It's great to be able to do this and to know that the team will represent the three-pointed star in the best way possible both on and off the track."

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Both championships are indeed done and dusted for Mercedes but the German manufacturer is fiercely determined to fight for race wins in the final two races of the 2019 season.

"I still feel a lot of hunger and desire for more achievements," Wolff said.

"There's no sense of complacency, everybody is still determined to keep on improving. It's an inspiring group of people that fully lives up to the Mercedes aspiration of being the best.

"We have two races to go in the 2019 season and we want to end this season on a high."

©Mercedes

Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton echoed Wolff's resolve, insisting he has no intention of easing off in the next two weeks.

"In my mind, I’m just too competitive," he said "So I’m thinking okay, we’ve got two more races to go, how am I going to do a better job, how am I going to improve in qualifying.

"There’s two more qualifying to try and get pole, how am I going to see if I can potentially pull out a lap like I did in Singapore last year.

"How am I going to work it that I can be at the front of both of those.

"I’m always just looking to improve and I really love being in this sport. I’m so grateful to this sport for giving me a life and giving my life purpose."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.