Toto Wolff insists his public rebuke of Lewis Hamilton at the Austrian Grand Prix will have no impact on the British driver’s Mercedes future.
As Max Verstappen racked up his seventh victory from nine rounds with a crushing performance at Red Bull’s home race in Spielberg to extend his championship lead to 81 points, Hamilton crossed the line a disappointing seventh.
Hamilton was the first of six drivers to be penalised by race director Niels Wittich for exceeding track limits.
He then spent the remainder of the race asking why some of his rivals – namely Sergio Perez – had not been sanctioned, and also lambasted the speed of his under-performing Mercedes machine.
Wolff rarely speaks to his drivers over the radio, but was on the intercom twice to Hamilton during Sunday’s race.
“Lewis, the car is bad, we know,” said Wolff on his second appearance over the airwaves. “Just please drive it.”
The dressing down might have stung Hamilton. Asked what provoked Wolff to deliver the remark, Hamilton’s answer was short, and not-so-sweet.
“I don’t know,” he said. “You will have to ask him.”
Hamilton has six months remaining on his £40million-a-season deal. Might the exchange have a bearing on negotiations?
“No, not at all,” said Wolff. “You should hear us talking on the phone and meeting each other. That was nothing.
“We have had a bad weekend, all of us in the team, and that just makes us stronger.
“It was only for the best interest of the driver and the team. Sometimes there is a certain moment when you need to calm things down but I meant well.
“We had a lot of discussion about track limits and whether they were enforced or not.
“I wanted to make sure we were getting the best out of the package that wasn’t performing, and trying to give it our best shot.”
It has been a difficult weekend for Mercedes in Austria. Hamilton was 10th in the Sprint on Saturday, while team-mate George Russell finished eighth in both the shortened race and the main event.
Hamilton’s losing streak now extends to 32 races and Wolff – despite suggesting on June 12 that his superstar driver’s next contract would be signed in “days rather than weeks” – confirmed that there will be no news of an extension at Silverstone this weekend.
“I am still very confident it will get done,” added Wolff. “We want to do it super, and to every detail.
“This is not a money discussion. It is about the future, what is it that we want to do right, and then optimise.
“We are not talking anymore about money, or duration, it is about other topics.”
Asked how long Hamilton’s next deal will be, Wolff replied: “For a while. The Brits say a couple means two, and the Americans say a couple means a few, so it is somewhere there. Several.”
The day began strongly for Hamilton. He started fifth and leapfrogged Lando Norris at the opening corner. But he soon faced the wrath of race control for putting all four wheels of his Mercedes over the white line on three separate occasions.
He was penalised with a black-and-white warning flag on lap 12, and then hit with a five-second penalty five laps later.
Hamilton took his punishment at his second pit stop on lap 43, dropping him to eighth place.
He moved up one spot when Pierre Gasly stopped for tyres but failed to make any impression on Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, crossing the line half-a-minute back.
“The feeling with the car was the same as I had last year,” said Hamilton. “I didn’t expect to be as bad as we were today. It is surprising.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari, while Perez raced from 15th to third, passing Carlos Sainz with 10 laps to go.
Norris ended the day in fifth to record his best result of a difficult season for his under-performing McLaren team.
McLaren not ready to challenge Red Bull...yet - Norris
Lando Norris says McLaren still need more time if they want to challenge Red Bull consistently after taking his maiden victory in the Miami Grand Prix.
Norris was helped by a well-timed safety car that allowed him to jump ahead of Max Verstappen in Miami to become just the third different driver to win a Grand Prix this season.
The 24-year-old currently sits fourth in the F1 drivers’ standings after three podium finishes, and he expects another competitive race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday.
"I'm confident we can make steps forward, but I've made it clear we're not going to be there every weekend," Norris said.
"We need more if we are to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari more consistently.
"We definitely took a step forward, but other teams have upgrades, too. So, we're not getting ahead of ourselves.
"I still think we’re the third-best team at the moment, but that could change if we have another good weekend here, and I'm confident with our rate of development that by next year we can challenge a lot more often for wins and, in the big picture, challenge for the title."
Norris’ victory in Florida followed a major aerodynamic development to the McLaren, and he believes it will be an even better match to the track on Sunday.
"We are just better suited for Imola, potentially the upgrade a little bit as well,” he added.
"Imola has generally been one of our more successful tracks - and for me as driver."
Newey expects to join another team after Red Bull exit
Adrian Newey admits for the first time that he expects to join another F1 team when he leaves Red Bull.
The legendary designer will depart the team in early 2025 after 19 years and is free to join a rival outfit ahead of the 2026 season.
While he did not reveal where he might go, Ferrari are regarded as favourite to land Newey as he is known to have had conversations with a Ferrari representative, while other teams have also reportedly made their interest known.
In an interview with his manager Eddie Jordan, Newey admitted he is "seriously considering changing teams, going somewhere else and doing another four or five years or whatever."
He added: "I feel a bit tired at the moment, but at some point, I’ll probably go again."
Newey’s decision to leave Red Bull was influenced by the tumultuous period behind the scenes for the Formula One constructors’ champions.
Controversy surrounded team principal Christian Horner at the start of the season as he was accused of engaging in inappropriate controlling behaviour towards a female member of staff, accusations he denied and was cleared of following an independent investigation.
Newey reflected on the decision to leave after almost two decades with the club.
"To walk away from Red Bull was a very hard decision but it was one I needed to take for a whole host of reasons. They had been my family," he continued.
"I never really thought it would be big news so for it to be in all the flipping papers and on the telly was a bit of a shock."
Albon signs new long-term contract with Williams
Alex Albon has signed a new long-term deal with Williams, until the end of the 2026 season at least.
The Thai driver, whose existing contract was due to expire at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, has put pen to paper on fresh terms with the team he joined in 2022.
After finishing seventh in last season's World Constructors' Championship standings, Williams are ninth after a slow start to 2024.
While the length of the new deal is uncertain, it will take Albon into Formula One's new regulation period, which begins in 2026, and the 28-year-old is excited by Williams' future.
"This is a long-term project that I really believe in and want to play a key role in, which is why I have signed a multi-year contract," he said.
"The journey will take time, but I am confident we are building the right team to move forward and achieve great things in the years to come.
"It has been a difficult start to the year, but since joining Williams, we have made significant progress together, and I have seen huge changes happening behind the scenes to take us back to the front of the grid."
Team principal James Vowles added: "We are delighted to secure Alex's long-term future with Williams Racing.
"He has exceptional talent, technical input and dedication to the cause and this is a huge vote of confidence in Williams and the journey back to competitiveness that we are on.
"Since joining, Alex has consistently demonstrated his ability to perform under pressure, and signing him for the long-term is a big piece of the puzzle of moving us up the grid."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
