Mercedes Could Not Do Better Than P4 According To Mercedes Team Principal

Sunday, 26 November 2023 at 10:00

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff evaluated the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying session saying his drivers could not do much better.

George Russell won two out of three Free Practice sessions at Yas Marina Circuit, so Mercedes's pace seemed strong going into Saturday's Qualification.

On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton suggested it would be challenging for him to get into Q3, and it ended up being true as the seven-time World Champion finished only 11th.

Russell seemed to be faster than the 38-year-old all throughout the weekend, proving it by achieving P4. However, the results were still disappointing, as Toto Wolff explained to the media:

"FP3 felt strong so we're disappointed that we didn't manage to put it together in Qualifying. Both Lewis and George struggled with grip and overall performance of the car."

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The Mercedes team principal admitted the team was hoping for better results ahead of qualifying, but ultimately, the result could not have been better than P4, which Russell achieved.

"Our expectations obviously were higher, but P4 was the maximum we could achieve today with George, and I think we can be content with that."

The seven-time World Champion was very downhearted after the session and suggested something was wrong with his car compared to other Mercedes.

"Lewis had a more difficult time, and was knocked out in Q2 by just a few milliseconds. We need to understand why we struggled in qualifying after such a promising FP3 and how we can maximize our performance tomorrow."

It is said the qualification in Abu Dhabi was one of the closest Qualifying sessions in F1's history as the top ten drivers were all within six-tenths of a second in Q1 and Q2. Wolff concluded:

"It was a challenging session for all teams and the field is so close together, so we need to work hard overnight and give it our all tomorrow to end the season on a positive note and secure our position in the Constructor's Championship."