Wolff calls Baku podium 'fortunate' but 'encouraged' by when car's working
F1 News
Mercedes managed to win three of the last four races before the summer break, but since then, the German team haven't been as successful. Even as in Baku the team managed to finish on the podium, team principal Toto Wolff underlined that they need to improve ahead of the weekend in Singapore, the team report.
A weekend in Singapore poses a different challenge, Wolff began: "We head straight to Singapore for the second race in this double header. Although a street circuit like Baku, Marina Bay is a different challenge. Physically, it is incredibly demanding on both the drivers and team members. The heat and humidity play a big role in that but so does the track itself. It is bumpy in places, contains a mixture of both low and high speed corners, and the walls are waiting to catch you out."
Mercedes needs to improve
Mercedes themselves were unable to continue their positive run of form after the summer break. The team were not on course with George Russell to finish on the podium either, but the Briton finished in P3 after Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz crashed out.
Wolff concluded: "After a mixed weekend in Azerbaijan, we will take the learnings from Baku and aim for an improved performance in Singapore. At times, our pace was strong but we couldn't deliver that consistently. Our main challenge was controlling tyre temperatures and something we know we need to improve upon. It is encouraging that, when we get the car working, we have the pace to be competitive. Whilst we came away with a podium though, we know that it was fortunate."
This article was written in collaboration with Cas van de Kleut
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