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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has denied that their lack of dominance in 2017 is due to the departure of Paddy Lowe. Lowe joined Mercedes in 2013 and stayed for just three and a half years. Earlier in the year, he ventured off to Williams, the same team he started with in Formula 1.
The Silver Arrows have not had the start to the season they're used to, as Ferrari has taken just as many wins as the Brackley-based team, and the Maranello squad now lead the driver and constructor standings. Wolff played down suggestions that Lowe's absence is a reason for the slump.
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"Paddy is an excellent engineer for whom I have great respect, Wolff said. "But success in our sport is not about individual well-known personalities, but rather about having a balanced structure with the right people in the right places."
"And, in my opinion, that's what we have at Mercedes. It's in times like these that you realise how strong a team is and I could not be prouder of how all of them are dealing with the current situation," Wolff added. "We have our feet on the ground, everyone is focused on solving our troubles and we are enjoying the duel with Ferrari. That is what motor sport is all about -- to compete against the best."
As the team needs to pull together to now fight back with Ferrari, Wolff denied further comments that stated Lewis Hamilton was a weak link in the team game role.
"Lewis' attitude and his personal maturity have impressed me this season," he insisted. "We had good conversations in the winter. Everyone put his cards on the table, we talked about what worked and what has not worked in recent years, and since then he has taken a strengthened management role in the team.
"I also feel that he loves this fight against Ferrari," Wolff explained. "Lewis has a very positive influence on the team and is more motivated than I have ever seen him. Which is just as you would expect from a champion of his quality."
Fergal Walsh
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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Replies (3)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Lowe was with them long enough to still have made a decent impact on the PU. And even if it didnt, it would discredit the team working under him. No, Mercedes hasnt dropped the ball as much as Ferrari managed to snatch it. They've clearly both done a great job, Ferrari has just done a better job on the chassis side. Any news on updates for the Ferrari unit?
boudy
Posts: 1,168
Haven't heard of any PU updates on either Merc or Ferrari, there are some lined up for other teams.
Looks like Renault are backtracking on the improvements on their update (0.1 sec instead of 0.3). Honda are getting ready for another update; And although Honda are suffering they are moving forward.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Oh, looks like I havent missed anything regarding those two then.
Yeah, but we dont know what quality the Renault upgrade will be of. For all we know, there could be more to it than just raw pace.
To be fair to Honda, they have provided McLaren with minor updates throughout this season. Not any new parts, but updates to the system meant to increase efficiency and driveability. I wonder what we can expect from their next update, hopefully they can deliver it to the Baku GP.