Wolff: Hungary GP win is ‘a little bit bittersweet’
Toto Wolff says Hungary win is bittersweet
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said that their Hungarian Grand Prix win felt ‘bittersweet’ after Valtteri Bottas‘ problems.
Lewis Hamilton controlled the race from the front, and went on to take the victory by twenty seconds from the two Ferraris.
The Brit extended his Championship lead to 24 points going into the summer break, but team-mate Valtteri Bottas had contact with both Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo in the final few laps.
“We came here with a damage limitation motto and we came away with more points that the competition,” Wolff said
“It is a great win for Lewis [Hamilton] but it feels a little bit bittersweet.
“Valtteri [Bottas] would have deserved a podium because he was such a sensational wingman.”
The Finn ran into both Vettel and Ricciardo as he tried to defend position, firstly P2, and then P4. However, he received a 10-second penalty for the Ricciardo incident, but kept his P5 finishing spot.
LAP 68/70: More contact! This time it's Bottas and Ricciardo #HungarianGP 🇭🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/oQ7VapIsZS
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2018
Wolff did not see it as worth penalising though, calling it a racing incident in his eyes.
“We have seen incidents like this all through the season. His tyres were fifty laps old, he tried to defend with everything he had left but there was not a lot [left],” the Austrian said.
“[With Vettel] he had no traction because of the old tyre and then he tried to defend on the inside and there was nowhere to go. Also he was on the dirt and then they collided.
“Again [with Ricciardo], it is a similar incident. He was on the dirt again with a tyre that is not got much left any more and Daniel trying on the outside. It was a bit harsh but he did get the position back.”
Wolff did go on to say that the togetherness of the team, and the spirit there is within the Mercedes garage can only help them in the second half of the season.
“It is going to give us strength. The tighter the Championship gets, the harder it becomes and it is good that you have two drivers that respect each other,” he added.
“I am happy but it feels a little bit sore because Lewis lost the win with the DNF in Austria, so it could have been more.”
“But we don’t need to be greedy, this is a difficult Championship, the toughest we have had so far and every point counts.”
Lewis Hamilton now leads the Drivers’ Championship by 24 points, while Mercedes have a ten point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’.
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