Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, 2019

Wolff: ‘A win is a win but we’d rather do it on the track’

2019 Canadian Grand Prix

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says he’d have preferred to win the Canadian Grand Prix “on the track” after a penalty for Sebastian Vettel handed victory to his team.

Vettel was given a five-second penalty for forcing Hamilton to take “evasive action” when he left the track and rejoined at the exit of turn four.

Wolff admitted he had mixed feelings over the outcome. “I think a win is a win and you need to take the points,” he told the BBC. “You’d rather do it clean on track but you have to take these days also.”

However Wolff said he believes the stewards decision is correct. “The stewards will always make the calls that are polarised,” he said.

“I think the rule – and I’m just saying what the rule says – is that you need to leave a car width. And that wasn’t the case. They penalised it. Sometimes it looks lenient, sometimes it looks a bit harsh but at the end whatever the stewards say you need to take what goes against you.”

A furious Vettel initially failed to report to the podium area to take part in the ceremony and walked straight to the Ferrari hospitality area. He later rejoined the activities, but stopped by Hamilton’s car to move the ‘number two’ marker board from the empty spot where his own car should have been and next to the Mercedes.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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18 comments on “Wolff: ‘A win is a win but we’d rather do it on the track’”

  1. No need to worry. We are still faster than Ferrari. You should have tried the undercut…

  2. Can’t agree more with Toto.

    1. me too, we write the rulebook and then proceed to use it and retweak it as we see fit. its a large book im sure the stewards have earned a massive….headache from getting hit by it.

  3. Panagiotis Papatheodorou (@panagiotism-papatheodorou)
    9th June 2019, 21:38

    Welcome to Formula Mercedes. FIA helping them achieve a 100% winning this season. Well done to Lewis for his 6th title as well.

    1. @panagiotism-papatheodorou this high level of pandering reminds me of that strange montoya penalty at interlagos I think, or malaysia can’t remember.
      FOM following the plot. most egregious usage of team orders for the past 2 seasons and now this, as if cars can’t race, no they can’t, its just a show and they got the popular result.
      Brazil last year was to my memory f1 most shameful day since singapore 08, Brazil was replaced by montréal. Just push the Hamilton hype train, live of it, what happens to f1 when these sponsors and viewers leave, only the real fans will stay, and these are far fewer than the new fans.

    2. Hamilton title #6 confirmed. Not because of Vettel, but due to a lacklustre weekend from Bottas.

  4. Does anyone know what problems Vettel was having with his car when Hamilton closed the gap on him?
    There was that radio message warning Vettel to check his limits. Was his brakes over heating? Might that have contributed to his error?

    1. Probably engine was in to high a setting for to long. And racing flat out, probably overheated tires and brakes.

      Sadly F1 cars are not designed for full speed lap after lap, neither are the tires, neither are the drivers it seems either.

  5. VET was forced into a mistake and cut the corner, didn’t slow down but drove across the racing line into HAM’s path, not only keeping his position but forcing HAM to brake to avoid the collision. The 5 seconds penalty may have been too lenient.

    1. @greenflag

      please add some more gas to the flames, it is not hot already yet

    2. It was a snap of oversteer. It happens. I personally wouldn’t consider this a driver error. You say he ‘didn’t slow down’. Please tell me what you think is faster, sliding over oneven grass or having your tires grip on tarmac? We both know the anwser.

      Also watch his onboard. He doesn’t ‘drive across the racing line’. He’s trying his best to get the car back under control and his silding brings him back onto the racing line where the bumping of his back-end over the kerb gives him another snap of pushing him even further to the outside. At no point does he delibratly steer to his right to hinder his opponent.

      Nothing was gained or lost, positions where held and the gap remained the same.

      1. Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
        10th June 2019, 12:34

        The rule does not differentiate between a driver driving accidentally or deliberately back onto the racing line. If they do its a penalty, regardless of intent.

    3. Mark in Florida
      10th June 2019, 1:36

      @greenflag how many times are you going to repost this same comment?

      1. The comment’s good, right? A few repetitions can’t hurt.

  6. No, you won’t Toto.

  7. Did Mercedes get some sort of exception from the parc-ferme rules as they were reparing Hamilton’s car last night? As far as I know, the car cannot undergo a significant technical change in the period between the quali and the race.

    1. You can repair damage with like for like parts. Except obviously for pu components

    2. Mark in Florida
      10th June 2019, 1:44

      (@pironitheprovocateur) hey it’s Mercedes, come on now. The irony of it is that Ferrari would have lobbied just as hard if it had been the other way around. This kind of chicanery is killing F1 for me, Indy racing is better by far in terms of passing and competition. I have to resist going to sleep or fast forwarding when watching the F1 sometimes.

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