Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted that George Russell’s surprise win in Singapore has made the team “curious” about its competitiveness in Formula 1.
Mercedes’ second victory this season marked a significant turning point amid a rather inconsistent campaign for the German marque.
Both Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s performances came as a pleasant surprise as the team had not expected such strong form at Marina Bay.
These performance improvements have been a direct reflection of the recent upgrades, which have widened the W16’s overall operating window.
When reflecting on the weekend, Wolff explained that Singapore wasn’t just a fluke.
“We come off the back of a strong result in Singapore, taking victory with George and P5 for Kimi,” Wolff said.
“Not only was that unexpected, our level of performance across Saturday and Sunday showed it was no fluke.”
“That has been the story of the season somewhat. It isn’t clear which team will be leading the way from weekend to weekend,” Wolff explained.
Mercedes determined to keep momentum rolling
The next leg takes place across the Americas, with teams already gearing up for the challenge that the Circuit of Americas will bring this weekend.
Ultimately, for Mercedes, these next races will test its ability to translate street circuit form into consistent performance on more conventional tracks.
“We were also good in Azerbaijan, so we are curious to see if we can maintain the step we have made with the W16 into this next run of races across the Americas,” Wolff emphasised.
“They are very different layouts and challenges to those two street circuits, so we are heading a little into the unknown.”
Whilst uncertainty remains ahead of the double-header, Wolff emphasised that unpredictability is part of what makes F1 so compelling, both for teams and fans alike.
“That unpredictability is what makes our sport so enjoyable,” he concluded.
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