Source:REUTERS/PATRICK POST
[Saba Sports News] Looking back at the Dutch Grand Prix, the Mercedes team had decent pace. George Russell ultimately finished fourth, while his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was classified lower due to a penalty. However, Team Principal Toto Wolff felt particularly challenged facing their competitors. As in other races this season, McLaren dominated on track. Even though Lando Norris retired due to a car failure, Wolff believes competing with McLaren is nearly impossible. When asked to evaluate the weekend, his attitude was exceedingly negative. Wolff stated: “We are in a difficult situation. Without the penalties, could you be satisfied with fourth or even sixth place? It’s really bad. I think this weekend, between Max Verstappen, Ferrari, and us, the situation was temporarily balanced. Max was the fastest, but Ferrari was not far behind.” Judging solely from Mercedes’ current pace (if no incidents occur), Wolff used McLaren as this year’s benchmark for comparison. “So it’s not satisfactory, especially considering that in the end, McLaren on hard tires held off all of us on new soft tires. After the Safety Car came out, no one could overtake Oscar Piastri. Even Verstappen on new soft tires couldn’t get past the McLaren on hard tires.” Regarding this, Wolff sharply commented: “It’s humiliating for everyone.”