Verstappen 'In A Different Galaxy' According To Mercedes Team Principal

Sunday, 03 March 2024 at 07:30

Toto Wolff acknowledged the "extraordinary" performance of Max Verstappen and his RB20 after the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.

The first race of the 2024 season is over, and it seems like not much has changed in the battle for the top positions. Red Bulls confirmed their dominance, and Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes behind them are all pretty equally matched but far away.

Max Verstappen dominated Saturday's race around the Bahrain International Circuit when he crossed the finish line in P1 with a more than 22-second lead over everyone, including his teammate Sergio Perez.

The team principal of Mercedes, Toto Wolff, commented on the situation for the media after the race and suggested the Dutchman was in a "different galaxy."

“"I think Max was not in a different league but in a different galaxy. The performance was extraordinary."”

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2024 Bahrain Grand Prix - Race Results & Summary

The triple World Champion finished the race 46.788 seconds ahead of George Russell in P5 and 50.324 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in P6. Wolff continued:

“"But everybody else, we saw the differences between the Ferraris, and I believe that the group of Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes were probably in a similar ballpark."”

Both Mercedes drivers lagged a lot behind the Dutchman at the finish line. However, it is also important to note that they managed different issues with their cars throughout the race, which would lose them a couple of seconds.

“"We just need to look at ourselves, get on top of our problems, and if we are able to manage our race weekend better, we will be racing those guys."”

Finally, the team principal of Silver Arrows was asked whether a clean sweep (winning all the races of the season) was possible for the triple World Champion in 2024, and he responded: