Toto Wolff was unable to understand the variation between drivers, but believes it was due to tire grip and that Max Verstappen was the only one who understood that.
The difference in performance between F1 teammates in Abu Dhabi was particularly pronounced for Mercedes, with George Russell at the top of the leaderboard and Lewis Hamilton at the bottom. It was spotted with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at Ferrari.
This was difficult for Wolff to understand and understand, but it was due to tire grip, which even F1 teams found difficult to get right. The sweet spot is very marginal and only Verstappen managed it consistently in 2023.
“It was difficult to get the car into the optimal range, and it was the same with Carlos and Lewis,” Wolff said. “There were two guys in the back. It’s hard to understand that there can be such variation in the performance of good drivers from different teams.
“You saw it in Abu Dhabi with Sainz and Leclerc. You saw it with George and Lewis. Oscar and Lando and obviously Perez and Verstappen. Perez is not a second slower than Max. No,” he stressed. “So what is this?
“That’s because I saw it swaying in both directions. I think it basically depends on the grip of the tires. If you have the car in an ideal location and have a stable platform to work on at the beginning of the weekend. , you can expect good performance.
“I don’t think so. It’s just a lack of performance that will literally send us off a cliff,” the Mercedes team principal doubted. So I can’t explain that. I think Max is the only person who figured out how to drive this tire this year. ” Wolff summed up.
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