Toto Wolff needs to ‘manage everybody’s expectations’ at Mercedes after upgrade

Mon, 01 May, 2023 - 15:48

By Philip Duncan, PA F1 Correspondent, Baku

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned Lewis Hamilton that the team’s next upgrade is unlikely to haul him into the championship fight.

The Silver Arrows are set to introduce a revamped machine in Imola on May 21, the race which follows this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

Hamilton finished sixth in Azerbaijan on Sunday, 46 seconds behind Sergio Perez, while team-mate George Russell was further down the road in eighth.

Strong driving today, guys. 💛💙 Onwards to Miami. 🔜 pic.twitter.com/BdB3ff9Rgu

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 30, 2023

After the race, Hamilton, who is already 45 points off the championship pace with just four rounds on the board, admitted he is counting down the days to Mercedes’ upgrade.

But team principal Wolff said: “The target (for the upgrade) is Imola but I need to manage everybody’s expectations.

“We are talking so much about the upgrade but we are not going to put it down on the track and drive circles around Red Bull.”

Perez raised hope that team-mate Max Verstappen will not canter to a hat-trick of world championships following his impressive drive on the streets of Baku.

Sergio Perez celebrated his second win of the season at Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Sergei Grits/AP)

The Red Bull men are level on two wins each this year, and Perez is only six points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ standings.

Red Bull have dominated the sport since a major regulation change at the beginning of last season, winning 14 of the last 15 races.

Russell claimed after the opening round in Bahrain that the team from Milton Keynes could win every race this year.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured two poles in Azerbaijan, but he still finished a distant 21 seconds behind Perez in third on Sunday.

Wolff continued: “Over 40 racing laps that’s half a second a lap. At least we saw that they (Red Bull) were pushing today, but half-a-second is quite a long way to go.

“We basically have two cars that are sailing off into the sunset on merit. We either have to do a better job, all of us together, to catch them up, or change the regulations.

“And I don’t think we should be doing the second. We have to win on merit and that means being more clever.”