Lewis Hamilton delivered another strong drive to finish third in Hungary. The Mercedes driver was second only to the McLaren duo last weekend, confirming that the W15 is competitive regardless of track layout. Toto Wolff believes the next race could be even better for the team.
Toto Wolff looks forward to Mercedes form in Belgium
Although Mercedes failed to take a third consecutive victory in Hungary, they still kept their podium-finishing streak alive.
Hotter conditions in Budapest complicated things for Mercedes but were not enough to derail their weekend.
Hamilton was fast throughout the weekend and showed strong tyre management on Sunday.
The result was another solid points haul for the team, confirming the consistency of the W15.
Team principal Toto Wolff was pleased with the result and expects more favourable conditions in Belgium:
“Claiming a podium finish, our fifth race in a row doing so, feels good. The McLarens were very strong today and out of reach for us in these hot conditions.
“Congratulations to them and Oscar. They deserved today’s victory.
“We were able to maximise the result with Lewis, though, and that is encouraging.”
“Yesterday’s setback with George meant he had to fight through the field. In the end, it was a good recovery from where he started…
“We now head to Spa where the conditions will likely be cooler, and hopefully that will suit us a little more.”
Fine margins make the difference for the W15
Whilst track conditions were not the only reason for McLaren’s supremacy, they were certainly a contributing factor.
Mercedes always extracts more performance from their package in cooler temperatures.
It was these conditions that contributed to their Pole Position and eventual race win in Silverstone.
Fine margins make the difference in Formula 1, but this statement has never been more true than now.
With four teams established as front-runners, even the smallest mistakes are costly.
For Mercedes, a low-speed circuit like Hungary was never expected to play into their strengths. Even then, they were capable of matching Red Bull for pace.
A high-speed track like Spa should be more suited to the W15. With more favourable conditions, the Silver Arrows will fancy their chances of winning more Silverware.
