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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff promised a thorough review after Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix turned into the former champions’ worst race yet of the 2023 Formula One season.
George Russell started third on the grid but was 17th at the chequered flag while seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton lined up 13th and finished sixth. The eight points scored marked the first time this season that Mercedes had failed to take at least double figures from a weekend.
Last year, Russell had finished second in Zandvoort and Hamilton fourth.
“I think we stayed out catastrophically too long (in the first stint),” Wolff told Sky Sports television. “We got it completely wrong. And that’s annoying because the car really had pace. Then it was just (about) recovering as good as we could.”
Rain at the end of the first lap forced a flurry of pitstops but Mercedes got their timing badly wrong and Russell was 19th by lap 13 after stopping for intermediates and wondering what had happened to the podium he was predicted.
“We will review thoroughly. The situation is never one person or one department... that was absolutely subpar from all of us and that includes me. It’s good when it hurts. When it stings, it sticks,” he added.
