Wolff: US GP was Mercedes' best race despite Hamilton exclusion

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has singled out last October’s US Grand Prix as the team’s best race, even despite Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification from the event.

The seven-time world champion’s exclusion came in the wake of Hamilton’s car failing a post-race inspection due to an excessively worn floor plank, a fate also suffered by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Wolff acknowledged that it might seem counterintuitive to select a race in which their driver was disqualified as their best.

But he attributed the choice to the team's overall performance in Austin, particularly after the introduction that weekend of a new floor for the W14 that improved the latter’s aero efficiency.

In Saturday’s Sprint at the Circuit of the Americas, Hamilton finished second behind Max Verstappen, while George Russell had clocked in P8. On race day, the pair crossed the checkered flag respectively P2 and P7.

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“We brought an upgrade package that worked, the car was performing well and we were hunting down the leader,” commented Wolff in a video published by the team.

“You could say, ‘well, you were disqualified for a car that was too low’, but the genuine performance was there and that was an enjoyable weekend.

“I’ve always said that I’d rather have a fast car that we haven’t tuned in the right way. Obviously you need to finish, but that was the best weekend overall, seeing that the correlation between the wind tunnel and the track was good.”

At the other end of Wolff’s satisfaction spectrum, the Austrian pinpointed the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, where Mercedes and Russell had won the previous year, as the team’s most disappointing race.

“It’s difficult because there have been so many moments where we had high expectations and it didn’t pan out as we’d expected,” Wolff said.

“Brazil was difficult because that was such a good race for us in 2022. We dominated the whole weekend last year, the sprint race and the main race, and then in 2023 the opposite was the case.

“So that was a bad moment.”

Despite Mercedes’ winless campaign, the first since 2011, the Brackley squad was able to claim the runner-up spot in the championship by three points from Ferrari.

In the back half of the season, Wolff repeatedly dismissed the importance of finishing second in the championship. But the Mercedes boss was ultimately delighted with the achievement, even if P3 would have provided his team with more aero development hours in 2024.

“A good moment was Sunday night in Abu Dhabi,” said Wolff.

“I never paid lots of attention to P2 and P3; we of course want to come P1. But then finishing P2 was emotionally and morally important for the team. That was a good moment.

“From a mindset perspective, if you would have asked me at the beginning of the season, I would have said it’s not very relevant whether we finish P2 or P3. The sporting advantage is that you have more wind tunnel time for next year.

“But then there is a financial component for all our staff in terms of bonus. I need to look after everyone together with my senior management. Therefore, it is a very important component, even though maybe from the sporting side, it is not so relevant.

“Having finished second in the world championship that evening, it felt great. I wasn’t expecting to have that feeling. You could see a boost of morale and emotion that was going through the team and that was important.”

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