Toto Wolff cut an unusually disappointed figure on Saturday night after the conclusion of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, despite seeing both his cars return to the points. But a lowly seventh and eighth for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell respectively was little consolation on a day when Ferrari closed the gap on the Silver Arrows in the championship.
That race for second place is now down to just four points heading into the final round of the season, and possibly explains Wolff’s less than cheerful demeanor. That, and the fact that he felt his team could have finished much higher in the standings.
“Would have, should have, could have,” was Wolff’s summary after the race. “We looked at the pace in the free air and we had the pace of the leaders. When Lewis didn’t have a move, that was pretty much it [Charles] Leclerc was struggling in terms of lap times.
“It sums up the season. You make your own luck, but we had more bad luck today as well. Seventh, eighth – both cars could have been on the podium, but they weren’t.”
A puncture let Hamilton last at one point in the race
Hamilton was caught in the first corner meleetaking damage after Carlos Sainz slid into the side of his car.
He was then involved in a mid-race incident with Oscar Piastri which resulted in a puncture to the rear wheel. The unlucky Hamilton only felt the tire begin to deflate as he passed the pit lane exit, and thus had to complete a full lap at low speed before finally returning to the pits – the second longest track on the calendar.
As for Russell, he was handed a five-second penalty for colliding with Max Verstappen, which he later admitted was his fault. With the field packed, fourth on the line became eighth once this penalty was applied.
“This race sums up our season, a fast car that can fight for the podium,” continued Wolff. “George, I think as soon as he got the penalty for the incident with Verstappen, it was almost game over, but I think [we had] pace for the front; maybe not Max but back. It is what it is.”
Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023: Safety Car out again after Verstappen and Russell collide at Turn 12
With Leclerc taking second and Sainz sixth, Ferrari overtook Mercedes by 16 points to close the gap to just four points in the race to be second in the constructors’ standings. And while P2 wasn’t what either team had hoped for at the start of the year, it still carries weight in terms of extra prize money and is therefore important to the team’s future financial health.
“I think we’re going there in almost equal parts [with Ferrari]… then let’s race,” Wolff said. “It all comes down to the final weekend. They are very fast, they have done a good job. I think we could be at the same level today, but the result shows something different, so let’s fight.
“To be honest, it’s good to have P2 as a positive to finish the season, but P2, P3 for me, there’s little… it doesn’t make me particularly happy anyway. What do you say – it doesn’t [this year] better for me.”