TOTO WOLFF says it is rubbish to dismiss Lewis Hamilton’s achievements just because he is driving the best car.
Hamilton can set a new record of 92 victories should he win this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix.
Toto Wolff has hit back at snipes that Hamilton’s success is because of his F1 Mercedes carCredit: Getty Images – Getty
He would move clear of the joint-record he currently holds with Michael Schumacher but the Brit does not always get the credit, especially from fellow drivers.
Mercedes boss Wolff said: “Winning races and winning championships is always in this sport a team exercise, but you need to put yourself in a position that you end up in the best car.
“You can see lots of talented and skilled drivers took wrong decisions, or not well-advised decisions.
Lewis Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 race wins at the Eifel Grand Prix this month Credit: Rex Features
“In that respect, it was him who joined Mercedes in 2013, and it is him that sits in the car and is able to execute on track with a tool that we provide to him.
“But it’s always a tool. We couldn’t achieve the records that we have and he probably couldn’t achieve the records without the right car, full stop.
“I don’t want to allow these voices that say, ‘well, he drives a Mercedes, it’s obvious that he wins so many races’.
“The drivers that say that, they should analyse why they haven’t found a way into a Mercedes.”
Mercedes could win the constructors’ champion title this weekend and Wolff says they have already stopped developing this year’s car “a long time ago”.
Instead, they have now switched their focus to building their car for the 2021 season.
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Wolff added: “It’s a very, let’s say, thoroughly thought-through decision, because not in every championship can you afford to close the book early.
“But the rules change quite a lot for next year, and in that respect we decided, like in the previous years, to switch to next year’s car, and this is why you can see that shift in performance between the teams.
“I think we always have a very strong start and middle of the season, and then whoever continues to develop is strong at the end.”
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
