Mercedes Chief Says McLaren Resurgence Good For Sport - 'Championship Is Wide Open'

Saajan Jogia | Aug 28, 2024

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

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that Lando Norris' strong performance at the Dutch GP was a good thing for the sport as the fight for the Constructors' Championship now remains open considering McLaren's 30-lap difference to leading team Red Bull.

The 2024 Formula 1 season has been very contrasting to the last two seasons, particularly 2023, as the other teams, apart from Red Bull, have learned the art of churning out performance from the ground effect cars.

Against last year's Red Bull tally of 21 wins out of the 22 races, the outfit has only managed to win 7 out of the 15 races thus far, with Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren taking rounds to display their prowess. However, the Papaya team's resurgence has proven to be most consistent with its continuous podium finishes and three Grand Prix victories so far.

While Mercedes also displayed consistency, a new floor at Zandvoort was reported to hinder its pace, leading George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to secure seventh and eighth places in the same order. Seeing Norris set the fastest time in the last lap of the Dutch GP to close in on Red Bull's lead, Wolff told the media:

"He has basically annihilated all of the competition with that fastest lap at the end, with a 42-lap old hard tire and a 20-second gap.

"So I think this championship, the constructors' championship, is wide open in my opinion and that's good for Formula One."

With nine races to go before the season ends, Norris trails leading driver Max Verstappen in the Drivers' Standings by just 70 points. Though the chances of him surpassing the three-time world champion remain slim, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says the situation can change quickly for the Constructors' title. He added:

"It can change very quickly, and that means it can change back the other way as well.

"McLaren has been the benchmark car over the last few races.

"We're very acutely aware that we need to respond to that. We're used to being in championship fights over the years. We'll dig deep and we're going to fight with everything we've got over the remaining nine races."

But for the Milton Keynes outfit to keep McLaren at bay, it must ensure Sergio Perez gives it all the beans to add to the team's point collection on every race weekend. Especially, when three more sprint races are yet to go.