Toto Wolff explains why his team Mercedes switched to team orders for drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Brit was asked in the final stages of the last Dutch GP to move aside for his younger teammate, and saw the Italian take valuable championship points. According to Wolff, however, that is the policy of Mercedes: “We have discussed this several times before.”
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A notable moment towards the end of the Dutch GP: George Russell receiving the team order from Mercedes to let Andrea Kimi Antonelli pass. The Brit followed the call from Mercedes dutifully, but saw how the young championship leader extended his lead in the championship.
Toto Wolff was asked after the race about the moment the Silver Arrows switched to team orders for the first time this season. “However, this is the policy we have always had at Mercedes,” he told F1TV. “We have discussed this several times within the team. Ferrari was on our heels and earlier in the race Kimi was already ahead. So having them swap positions was the right choice.”
‘At least we took more championship points than Ferrari’
The team principal looks back on the last Dutch Grand Prix weekend with mixed feelings after an earlier sprint win for Russell. “There were good and difficult moments,” Toto Wolff summarizes the weekend. “We thought we had the pace to win the race today, but that chance was lost once we were on the hard tires. And we still don’t fully understand why. In the end, we did take second and third place and more championship points than Ferrari, so it’s a good result.”
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Finally, the Austrian also looks ahead to the upcoming races, starting with Kimi Antonelli’s home race: Monza. “It’s a development battle at the moment, so we have to keep improving and get everything out of our current car, because the upgrades are not coming quickly yet,” Wolff concludes.
Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
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