Toto Wolff on Canadian GP: Mercedes’ ‘Short Dream’ and Missed Opportunity for Victory

Toto Wolff describes the victory at the Canadian Grand Prix as "a fleeting dream" following Mercedes' first podium finish in the 2024 Formula 1 season. Wolff considers whether the race in Canada was a lost chance for Mercedes to secure a win.

Toto Wolff has described the idea of Mercedes securing a victory at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix as a “fleeting dream” after George Russell ended up in third place.

Russell started from pole position and took the lead in the initial laps of Sunday’s race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The Mercedes driver fell to third place after an error in the last chicane while being passed by McLaren’s Lando Norris.

After the Safety Car period, Russell regained second place but lost it once more following another error.

His advancement was hindered once more during a duel with Oscar Piastri at the final chicane, forcing him onto the wet run-off area and causing him to fall behind his teammate, Lewis Hamilton.

A daring maneuver in the final laps enabled Russell to reclaim a spot on the podium, yet it was a lost chance for Mercedes, which arguably had the fastest car in dry weather.

Considering Russell’s potential to defeat Max Verstappen, Wolff mentioned to Sky Sports F1 after the race: “Winning was perhaps an unlikely outcome or a fleeting aspiration.”

"When George was out there pushing hard and displaying impressive speed, there was a fleeting moment when we considered it, but you can't afford to be too greedy."

Russell lost valuable time while racing against Piastri in the last series of turns.

However, Wolff believed that this specific duel prevented Russell from securing second place, rather than the win.

"While there was a display of exceptional skill during the race, there's also an argument that it could have been avoided," Wolff commented. "In my view, attempting to overtake Piastri in that particular corner was never a viable move."

The driver's overtakes stand out because he takes risks and drives aggressively. This particular maneuver might have been overly ambitious, causing him to lose a position, but he managed to recover it later.

"In my opinion, finishing in second place was possible in the end. I'm not sure if Lando encountered a problem, slowed down, or just took it easy, but that could have meant gaining another position without that happening."

“What might have happened doesn't matter. The key thing is that we gave the drivers a fast car. We should focus on the positives since we've made significant progress, we're introducing new components, and our development strategy is on the right track.”

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