F1 News: Mercedes’ W15 Dominates in Vegas, But Toto Wolff Admits They Can’t Fully Explain It

Saajan Jogia | Nov 25, 2024

Toto Wolff 2024 Chinese Grand Prix, Sunday - Sebastian Kawka / Mercedes Press Image

The W15 F1 car has displayed unpredictable behavior on various circuits throughout 2024, with noticeable performance disparities between both drivers across multiple race weekends. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained that it would be valuable for his team to fully understand the W15, especially after the squad achieved a remarkable 1-2 finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. George Russell secured the victory with a commanding 7.3-second lead over his teammate, Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes got off to a strong start to the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, showcasing impressive performance by topping all three practice sessions. The team's momentum continued as Russell secured pole position, starting from the front in the Grand Prix.

The same couldn't be said about Hamilton, whose qualifying error led him to start the race in the tenth position. However, the seven-time world champion battled through the positions to get within 5 seconds of Russell at the front, who then upped the ante and created a further 2-second gap to end the race without compromising his lead to Hamilton.

Given the dominant performance displayed throughout the weekend, Wolff spoke about the need to better understand the ground effect car. He noted that its unpredictable behavior makes it difficult to fully comprehend and respond to, presenting a challenge for the team in forming strategies effectively. The team boss told Sky Sports F1, as reported by PlanetF1:

“It’s really nice if one would understand these cars, because today we really crushed everyone, dominant.

“We could have gone easily faster. We were at times two seconds quicker than everybody else, and I’m really happy – the team deserves it. We’ve worked so hard in Brackley and in Brixworth and here at the race team, so that’s a great day.”

When asked if the team failed to understand why the car was so fast in Las Vegas, Wolff said:

“No, we do, I think it’s just when you design a car and you put it on track, generally, you try to have it good at every track.

“We seem to be very good when it’s high speed and when it’s a bit of a chillier side with less grip, and this is something we can be proud about, but when it’s getting hot, that is where the car is not performing so well.

“George’s driving was just from another planet. He’s kept that under control and managed with all the time. I think the defending against Leclerc was spectacular, and Lewis came from P10 with a super strong car, finishing just five seconds behind George.”