Toto Wolff has led his Mercedes team back to the front of the F1 grid in the last couple of races. They’re now involved in a four-way fight for top honours.
Mercedes didn’t score a podium at any of the first eight rounds of the season. In fact, they only finished in the top five twice in that time – both courtesy of George Russell (Bahrain and Monaco).
But it seems as if the Silver Arrows have finally made a breakthrough in understanding their W15. Russell took a surprise pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix, setting the same exact lap time as Max Verstappen but doing so earlier.
The 26-year-old would slip to third on race day after a couple of costly errors, but with Lewis Hamilton P4, Mercedes still picked up their biggest points haul of the season. In Barcelona, the order flipped, but the result was the same.
Russell stormed from fourth place to first on the opening lap, but eventually fell back. Still, Wolff will be encouraged that his team were in the fight on a track that was very different in character (and weather conditions) to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
It’s unclear whether Red Bull or McLaren boast the fastest car right now, though Ferrari do seem to be a fraction behind. Verstappen has won three of the last four races, but faced close competition from Lando Norris in each of them.
Toto Wolff not impressed by Sergio Perez at Red Bull
Speaking to Formu1a.uno, Wolff suggested that Red Bull’s car was solid, but nothing more. Its predecessor, the RB19, had been the most dominant package in F1 history.
The Austrian believes that Verstappen is making the difference right now in the close battle at the front. Sergio Perez’s struggles, he says, show the team’s limitations.
Perez started the year fairly well with three runner-up finishes in the first four races. But he’s fallen back as Red Bull’s rivals have improved.
He’s now scored just eight points across the last four races, including two DNFs, and hasn’t started in the top 10 since the Miami GP. This run has seen the Mexican (111 points) slip to P5 in the standings.
“I think it’s Max who wins the races and not Red Bull,” Wolff said. “The RB20 is solid, but Perez isn’t doing well. It’s Max who makes all the difference.”
Ex-F1 driver invites Perez to kart track to learn ‘basics’
Wolff echoed comments made by Norris, who has said that Red Bull can only rely on one of their drivers to deliver. In his eyes, this gives McLaren and Ferrari a key advantage.
Perez may have signed a new contract that could keep him at Milton Keynes until the end of 2026, but Giedo van der Garde believes he’s still coming ‘under pressure’. Indeed, executive director Helmut Marko has warned that he ‘can’t afford’ to show any weaknesses given the progress made by the competition.
In a brutal series of remarks, ex-F1 driver Michael Bleekemolen sarcastically invited Perez to visit his kart track to work on some of the ‘basics’. He thinks the 34-year-old is ‘finished’ if he can’t improve.
Until the former McLaren driver corrects his slide, many will continue to question the decision made by Red Bull. For instance, Ralf Schumacher has suggested that Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, Perez’s former teammate at Force India, would have been a better teammate for Verstappen.
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