LEWIS HAMILTON’s Mercedes team want to finish the season with a bang after a catalogue of cock-ups in Brazil.
Hamilton, who had already clinched the title in the previous race, was bumped down to seventh place in Sao Paulo owing to a five-second penalty for clattering into Alex Albon.
Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton collided with Red Bull driver Alexander Albon on the last lap of the Brazilian Grand PrixCredit: AFP or licensors
And his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, was forced to retire with an oil leak in a poor weekend for the all-conquering team.
Now, Merc boss Toto Wolff, who skipped the race in Brazil, wants the team to finish the campaign with a flourish.
He said: “Brazil was a disappointing race for us; we did not have the fastest car on track and we lost a lot of points owing to our own mistakes.
“We analysed what went wrong, both in terms of our reliability and our decisions during the race, to make sure we don’t repeat them.
“It was a good learning experience for the entire team and something that will make us stronger in the long run.
“The underperformance in Brazil means we head to Abu Dhabi with a point to prove. Yas Marina has been a good circuit for us in the last few years and we’ll push hard to continue in the same way.”
A disappointing race for us; the underperformance in Brazil means we head to Abu Dhabi with a point to prove
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff
Meanwhile, Wolff has paid tribute to his team while also acknowledging the passing of the team’s Chairman, Niki Lauda, along with former Race Director, Charlie Whiting and F2 driver Anthoine Hubert, who died at Spa.
He added: “This season has been a real rollercoaster for us. We’ve seen great on-track battles and we’ve loved the competition.
“We are very proud that we came out on top and managed to put the Mercedes name in the history books of Formula One with our sixth consecutive double title.
“On the other hand, it’s been an incredibly hard year where we had to say goodbye to too many friends.
“We were hit hard by the passing of Charlie, Niki and Anthoine, as well as important members from our team who we have tragically lost this year.
Hamilton was demoted to seventh after the crash, while Albon finished in 14th placeCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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“At Mercedes, Niki left a void that we will never be able to replace – as a source of inspiration, as a voice of reason, but most importantly as a great friend. We hope we did you proud, Niki.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull have committed to the 2021 season after confirming they are continuing to use Honda engines.
The team Tweeted: “We’ll be #PoweredbyHonda in 2021! The Team are delighted to confirm that we have extended our partnership to use Honda Hybrid power.”
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
