Mercedes ‘realistic’ of performance ahead of Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff has said the team are ‘realistic’ of their performance ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with a third consecutive win on the cards.

Feature image credit: Mercedes F1

Mercedes have won the last two races in a row, both at the hands of their championship leader, Kimi Antonelli at the Italian and Spanish Grand Prix. However, their team boss, Wolff, has suggested that ‘several teams’ are capable of fighting at the front, despite their dominant run of form.

Last time out, Antonelli missed out on pole position by 0.011 seconds, pipped by the reigning world champion and McLaren driver, Lando Norris.

From there, the Briton controlled the lead of the race until an early Virtual Safety Car came out after he missed the pit lane, allowing others behind him to fall into the pits as he circled the track once more. As a result, Antonelli was able to take the lead after safety car-hoping Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, peeled into the pits for his stop.

Upon reflection, Wolff has suggested that the recent run of form does not change their assessment of their position. He said:

“The last two race weekends have delivered good results, but they don’t change our assessment of where we stand. There are several teams capable of fighting at the front on any given weekend and in Madrid, we performed well but also benefited from things falling our way during the race. We are realistic about that.”

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For Antonelli, Azerbaijan will provide him a chance to chalk up another tally of consecutive wins since the China-to-Monaco spell, having claimed 50 points in the last two races with respective victories at Monza and Madrid. He remains the championship leader with 292 points to his name, and a sturdy championship buffer to his trailing teammate, George Russell.

81 points separate the two championship rivals, a clear three-race advantage to Antonelli.

Looking ahead to Azerbaijan, its the first race weekend of an Asian triple header, consisting of Azerbaijan, Malaysia (Bahrain Grand Prix) and Singapore. As such, Wolff has claimed moments like these can strengthen or lose their championship.

“Now we head into the first of three triple-headers to end the season” Wolff continued. “It will be a demanding period for the whole team, both at the factories and trackside. There is very little time to reset between races, so preparation, reliability and operational execution become even more important.

“These are the moments where our championship position can be strengthened or lost.

“We start in Baku. It is one of the most unusual circuits on the calendar. It asks a lot from the car and the drivers. You need good straight-line speed, confidence in the braking zones and a car that can handle the low-speed corners through the old city.

“Recent results have been encouraging, but they don’t guarantee anything. Baku will expose any weakness very quickly. We have to approach the weekend with humility, do the basics well, and earn every point.”

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.