Mercedes boss Toto Wolff would accept a repeat of the events that led to Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification in the United States over lacking the pace to win races.

Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were disqualified after post-race checks discovered their two cars didn’t comply with the regulations governing plank wear.

Despite concerns throughout the weekend regarding the notorious bumps at the Circuit of the Americas, the FIA elected to retain its standard protocol of checking four cars.

Therefore, the other 13 classified runners at the chequered flag avoided potential punishment, including the respective team-mates of both Hamilton and Leclerc.

Hamilton revealed on Thursday in Mexico that he was told by “several sources” that other cars’ planks would have been deemed “illegal” if they had been investigated.

“That’s the feedback we got from the other teams,” Wolff echoed to Sky Sports F1. “Obviously they’re chatting with each other, the drivers, and also on a management level.

“I think many many teams were probably under the nine mil[limetres].”

Max Verstappen attributed rival teams falling foul of the rulebook to the Sprint format only allocating one practice hour before the drivers are locked into their chosen set-ups.

Wolff has agreed with Verstappen, admitting that, like Ferrari, Mercedes was convinced it had sacrificed enough margin with the ride height of its W14 car to avoid problems.

“The problem with the Sprint races is the car goes into parc ferme and you can’t adjust it any more,” Wolff argued. “We thought on Saturday that it could be on the limit but probably with a little bit of a margin.

“But we had a new floor, we got more downforce. Probably also in the Sprint race we didn’t run as much non-DRS laps which smashed the floor more so it was the stars were not aligned.”

Mercedes unveiled a revised floor in Austin, which Hamilton described as the first upgrade “he’s felt over the last two years.”

Wolff admits the upgrade “played an element” in Hamilton’s disqualification, before adding “we got more downforce, which is the positive, and you’re smashing the car on the bumps a little bit more.”

But the Austrian chief is confident that the issue won’t provide another discussion point across the remaining four rounds this year.

“It was absolutely specific [to Austin] and also because of the Sprint race weekend so we were more cautious now we have the data and we probably can adjust a little bit.”

Wolff insists he would prioritise experiencing a similar situation but having the pace to challenge for victories rather than lagging behind and remaining within the rules.

Hamilton matched his best result of the season to date, coming within 2.2s of usurping Verstappen’s Red Bull following a spirited charge in the closing laps.

“I would take the same thing [again] and I would also take the disqualification because we got it wrong,” he concluded.

“I take a disqualification running for a race win and seeing the performance against running P3 and ending up 25 seconds adrift. So every day of the week, I’ll go through the disqualification,” he concluded.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says it is planning changes to its pitstop procedures after slow tyre changes stymied Lewis Hamilton in the United States Grand Prix.

Before he was disqualified post-race, Hamilton had enjoyed his strongest showing of the 2023 season to date, coming within 2.2s of eclipsing Max Verstappen for victory.

Both Wolff and Verstappen admitted that Mercedes had the potential to win the race without the German marque’s indecision forcing Hamilton to stop later than his rivals.

Although Hamilton agreed with the pair’s assessment, the Briton contended that a sequence of sluggish pit stops had also proved costly to his win chances on track.

“I think in one of the pit stops, I might have been a bit long, which then made it harder for the guys, and then the stop wasn’t that great overall,” Hamilton admitted.

While McLaren delivered a 2.07s stop for Lando Norris and Red Bull’s fastest was timed at 2.45s, Hamilton was left stationary in his pit box for 3.6s and 3.4s respectively.

Mercedes has consistently lagged behind the competition on the pit stop front this year, currently languishing seventh overall on the points standings calculated by DHL.

Furthermore, the Brackley-based squad have not recorded a pitstop that stands within the top 10 fastest of this year, with Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull occupying every spot.

Following its Austin defeat, Wolff declares that Mercedes must rectify its shortcomings, but he has detached blame from the team’s personnel for its repeat pit stop defects.

“Our mindset in the last 12 years, we don’t need to be World Champions in pitstops,” Wolff explained.

“We need to avoid very slow pitstops. And it’s coming to a situation now where we realise that it has got so competitive, and we just need to ramp up our game up there.

“That’s in terms of equipment and science around it, and the way we are set up, to avoid 3 or 3.5 seconds pitstops because all of that played a part.”

Hamilton was disqualified along with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc after it was discovered their respective cars did not comply with the regulations on plank wear.

Wolff later acknowledged Mercedes got caught out by a slight misjudgement that the team must accept and “take on the chin”.

Meanwhile, Hamilton remained positive despite losing a podium at the Circuit of the Americas due to the instant progress delivered by Mercedes’ revised floor update.

“I feel positive as we’re moving forward, even if reflecting on it we could have possibly won today,” Hamilton added.

“It is of course disappointing to be disqualified post-race but that doesn’t take away from the progress we’ve made this weekend.”

Mercedes believe the lack of practice time afforded at the United States Grand Prix due to the Sprint contributed to Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification from the race.

Hamilton mounted a large charge in the closing laps at the Circuit of the Americas to overtake Lando Norris and come within only 2.2s of usurping Max Verstappen for victory.

However, Hamilton, along with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, was disqualified after post-race checks discovered his W14 car did not comply with the regulations on plank wear.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff outlined the difficulty of optimising the set-up on a bumpy track with only one hour of practice before the cars are locked in under parc ferme.  

However, Wolff declares the side “need to take it on the chin” and learn from the error that handed a podium position to Ferrari, its nearest rival in the championship.

“Turning to the race result and the disqualification, set-up choices on a Sprint weekend are always a challenge with just one hour of free practice – and even more so at a bumpy circuit like COTA and running a new package,” Wolff explained.

“In the end, all of that doesn’t matter; others got it right where we got it wrong and there’s no wiggle room in the rules. We need to take it on the chin, do the learning, and come back stronger next weekend.”

Meanwhile, Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin concurred with Wolff, adding that the team were “naturally very disappointed” to lose a podium place.

“Unfortunately, it is one of the pitfalls of the Sprint format where we have a solitary hour of running before parc fermé,” Shovlin said.

“Without running at a race fuel load in FP1, combined with a circuit as bumpy as this and the parts of the track where the drivers have to put the car during the Grand Prix, have contributed to the higher than expected wear levels.

“We will go away and learn from this but also take the positives from our experience as a whole.”

But Shovlin is convinced that Mercedes “can afford to be cautiously optimistic” for the remaining rounds following the positive step delivered by its upgraded floor.

“Both drivers felt the improvement and it is positive for our development trajectory for 2024,” he added. “Whilst we are disappointed with the ultimate outcome today, we can be encouraged by the pace shown.”

Hamilton was also upbeat despite losing his 10th podium at COTA, insisting the disqualification “doesn’t take away from the progress” Mercedes made in Austin.

“I feel positive as we’re moving forward, even if reflecting on it we could have possibly won today,” Hamilton concluded.

“It is of course disappointing to be disqualified post-race but that doesn’t take away from the progress we’ve made this weekend.”

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has agreed with Max Verstappen’s assumption that a strategy error cost the side the chance to beat Red Bull in the United States Grand Prix.

Starting third, Hamilton was catching Lando Norris and running ahead of eventual race winner Verstappen when Mercedes opted not to respond to Red Bull’s undercut.

The Briton would follow the leading two onto a two-stop strategy, utilising fresh Medium tyres in the closing laps to pass Norris before falling 2.2s shy of Verstappen.

Prior to Hamilton being disqualified post-race, Wolff accepted that the offset strategy contributed to Mercedes squandering an opportunity to usurp Red Bull in Austin.

Asked if he considered the Mercedes W14, boosted by the addition of a revised floor this weekend, a car capable of winning the grand prix, Wolff said: “Yeah. I think the car was quick. Lewis drove fantastically and if I count all the things that went against us.

“You could say, maybe we could have gone for a two-stop and just cover him [Verstappen], and I think both stops were not great. But it’s an equipment topic and not a human.

“And then we lost two seconds behind Norris, and probably 1.5 seconds behind [Daniel] Ricciardo. But fair dues, this is how we race, and, at the end, it wasn’t sufficient. So, no blame.”

Wolff’s comments concurred with the statement made by Verstappen, who is convinced Mercedes had the potential to steal victory with a conventional strategy.

“For sure they could have won today if they did a better strategy,” Verstappen told Sky F1. “The whole weekend they were very good, quick, I think.

“Today, probably from our side also with the brake issues that was hampering my pace but in general I think they were very strong this weekend.”

Reflecting on the decisive moments of the encounter, Wolff highlighted Hamilton’s extended first stint as the point Mercedes lost too much ground to Verstappen.

Hamilton’s race engineer, Peter Bonnington, enquired whether he could remain on his starting tyres for an additional four laps, hinting at a potential one-stop strategy.

But Hamilton’s uncertain response translated into a lock-up at Turn 11, allowing Verstappen to enter his pit window and prompting Mercedes to pit the Briton.

“On last 19 or 20, when Max pitted, we knew that we only needed to make three more laps to make a one-stop stick,” Wolff explained.

“Then the performance just went downhill massively. And that probably was one or the reasons that we couldn’t monetise. But overall, I think we need to be happy with the performance.”

Wolff concedes that the Brackley squad’s original choice to angle towards one-stop with Hamilton was driven by its prediction Red Bull would prove too strong.

“It certainly played a role in that we believed if we were on the same strategy, like Max, cover him, be a few seconds ahead of him, that would not be enough to win the race,” he contended.

“And that’s okay. He has been dominating all year. So that’s a bit of a mindset you are taking into such a decision.

“With the one stop, we felt we could win, or there’s more bigger chances to win. And at the end, the [tyre] performance was not as we thought.”

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has denied that his absence at the previous two rounds contributed to the clashes between its two drivers.

Prior to returning at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, Wolff had been forced to miss both the Japanese and Qatar Grands Prix after requiring surgery on his knee.

During his time away, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton got extremely close to making contact at Suzuka before the British pair proceeded to collide at Turn 1 in Qatar.

Hamilton would retire from the opening lap touch at the Lusail International Circuit, while Russell rued missing out on a potential victory despite recovering to fourth.

Wolff, who remained engaged in meetings from home, believes there is no direct correlation between his time away and the simmering on-track tensions at Mercedes.

When asked if there was a possible link between the two, Wolff said: “I don’t think so. We’ve laughed about that, too, in the team. But I don’t think it has an effect.

“I think we are racing more in the front now, and I think we have a sniff on how it is looking like to have no car in front of you, with the McLarens and with Max [Verstappen] there.

“So, yeah, in any case, we’ll never find out. I’m back.”

However, Wolff has addressed that the two “unpleasant” incidents have been dealt with internally behind closed doors to best prevent a repeat scenario from materialising.

“There were some, let’s say, unpleasant situations that we have talked about, and lots of points that we left on the table – but there is nobody more aware than the drivers,” he added.

“Sometimes you need these moments to recalibrate and recondition and avoid similar situations in the future.

“But they’re racing drivers; they compete hard. Your first competitor is your team-mate, and therefore, I see it with a relative relaxed stance. And I’m back.”

Mercedes’ prospects this weekend in Austin have been bolstered by the addition of a revised floor to its W14 – the German outfit’s “last big update for the 2023 season.

Hamilton was pleased with the progress made with its latest part, documenting that it’s “one of the first upgrades that I’ve felt over the last two years.”

The seven-time World Champion eventually wound up third in qualifying on Friday evening, just over a tenth shy of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who bagged pole position.

Meanwhile, George Russell was perplexed by struggles that left him “off the pace”, ending up relieved to escape an early Q2 exit on his way to clocking the fifth fastest time.

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff asserts that Mercedes must “get back to basics” for 2024 to rectify the car issues that Lewis Hamilton has complained about this year.

Mercedes entered this season hopeful of returning to title contention after only claiming a solitary victory upon the overhaul to Formula 1’s technical rules last year.

However, the team remains winless in 2023 and has achieved fewer podiums than both its engine customers – Aston Martin and McLaren – despite sitting second overall.

But aside from Mercedes struggling for performance, Hamilton revealed earlier this year he’s experiencing trouble with the W14’s cockpit position being too far forward.

Wolff claims Mercedes must strive to ensure any comparable complaints aren’t prevalent from either of its two drivers next season.

“We have to get back to basics,” Wolff told Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I don’t want to hear Lewis say anymore ‘My cockpit is too far forward’.”

Amid its stuttering start, Mercedes abandoned its ‘zeropod’ concept with the introduction of a revised car with modified bodywork at the Monaco Grand Prix in May.

Wolff insists that Mercedes understands the reasons why its previous philosophy failed, adding the German side’s only focus now is on delivering a more compliant car.

“We know what we understand and will not pay attention to what we do not understand,” he added.

“The biggest problem is that the drivers have no confidence in the car. We have to give them a solid foundation to score good points.”

Red Bull wrapped up the Constructors’ title in Japan with a record six rounds to spare.

However, the disparity between its two drivers couldn’t be greater. Max Verstappen has taken 14 victories compared to Sergio Perez’s two and 209 points separate the duo.

Subsequently, Wolff concedes that Red Bull’s dominance has been amplified by Verstappen’s relentless run towards a third Drivers’ Championship, clinched in Qatar.

“There is only one man at the moment who stands head and shoulders above the rest,” Wolff admitted. “Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren and us are all in the same situation.

“At least we are second in the Constructors’ Championship, because after all these years we have learned how to optimise our results. It’s just that no one comes close to Verstappen.”

However, Wolff remains optimistic that Mercedes can catch Red Bull even before the regulations are changed in 2026.

Hamilton acknowledged last month that the Brackley-based squad would require its “greatest six months of development” ever to battle Red Bull from the outset in 2024.

“By 2026 we will be at the top again, but I wouldn’t be in this sport if I didn’t think it was possible to overtake Red Bull,” he declared.

“If we can find three or four-tenths, then we are part of the fight again.”

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff reveals that Lewis Hamilton told him he never held any contract discussions with Ferrari despite meeting the marque’s president.

Hamilton’s contractual situation dominated the off-track headlines during the early stages of 2023, with his previous deal set to expire at the end of the current campaign.

Mercedes’ failure to deliver a title-contending car once again this season caused speculation to surface that Hamilton might elect to depart for pastures new elsewhere.

The most common rumour linked the Briton with Ferrari, who subsequently downplayed reports that a deal had been agreed.

Eventually, it was announced ahead of last month’s Italian Grand Prix that Hamilton had penned a two-year extension to remain with Mercedes alongside George Russell.

Wolff explains that Hamilton had informed him he had met Ferrari president John Elkann but declared that he was not interested in a move away and wanted to remain with the Brackley-based squad.

“There was a bit of a delay, but it was clear that it would end like this, with Lewis staying with us,” Wolff told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Some time ago Lewis told me ‘I saw John Elkann at dinner but know that I’m not going anywhere’. And then when they wrote about his conversation with Ferrari, he said again ‘Toto, I’m not carrying out any negotiations’.

“There was never an inch of doubt in my mind. And then we also have George for another two seasons, who is the future of this team and the next generation after Hamilton, who grew up in Mercedes.

Wolff concluded: “We are happy.

Mercedes is currently embroiled in a tight battle with Ferrari for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. The ex-title rivals are separated by just 28 points with only five rounds remaining in 2023.

The Silver Arrows marginally extended its advantage last time out in Qatar but failed to capitalise on its pace advantage over Ferrari as its two cars came to blows at Turn 1.

Hamilton, who was sizing up a move for the race lead, was sent spinning into the gravel and out of the race, while Russell was made to pit at the end of that lap to replace his damaged front wing, dropping him to last.

The sole remaining Mercedes in the 57-lap race would eventually utilise a bold four-stop strategy to recover to fourth, beating out the only running Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

Ferrari had struggled for speed throughout the weekend at the Lusail International Circuit and only ran with one car in the race amid Carlos Sainz’s car suffering a fuel-system issue before the cars went to the grid.

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner believes Toto Wolff is “plotting” away in the background to restore his Mercedes side to Formula 1 title contention.

Horner and Wolff were engaged in a war of words throughout a titanic 2021 campaign that saw their respective teams go head-to-head for both championship titles.

However, Mercedes has been unable to provide a match to Red Bull since the regulations were overhauled last year, only taking a solitary victory compared to the Austrian camp’s total of 32 from 38 races.

But Horner is aware of the strength in depth Mercedes possesses and expects the German marque will be working away tirelessly to stop Red Bull’s rampant run.

Expanding on his relationship with Wolff in an interview with Sky Sports, Horner said: “For me sport is about rivalry. It’s great to have rivalry. There has to be a respect, but sport isn’t sport without rivalry.

“Obviously we haven’t seen much of him the last couple of years but I’m sure he’s plotting. I’m sure he’s got something that they’re working on.

“They’re a great team. They are a big team. They have got great drivers. They’ll be looking to fight back.”

Red Bull’s previous reign of supremacy between 2010-13 was brought to an end by the introduction of turbo-hybrid engines ushering in an era of Mercedes dominance.

Although Mercedes notched an unprecedented eighth Constructors’ title in 2021, Max Verstappen’s narrow victory over Lewis Hamilton curtailed the Brackley-based operation’s stranglehold on both trophies.

Having since reclaimed the teams’ championship last year, Horner admitted: “It hurts when you’re losing and if it doesn’t hurt then you shouldn’t be doing it.

“We had a long period, six to seven seasons, of hurt, of being the bridesmaid. But we never lost sight of where we wanted to be. We were the team to break that [Mercedes] domination, and everything goes in cycles.

“At some point somebody will beat us.

“Now, whether it’s Mercedes, or Ferrari, or McLaren, or Aston Martin, or whoever, we don’t know. But all we can control is what we’re doing. So that’s what we’re focused on, is ourselves.”

After Red Bull sealed the Constructors’ Championship with a record six rounds to spare in Japan, Verstappen can secure the Drivers’ title this weekend in Qatar.

With a 177-point advantage over team-mate Sergio Perez, the Dutchman only requires three points in Saturday’s Sprint Race to be crowned a three-time World Champion.

Asked how he portrayed winning a title before the main event takes place on Sunday, Horner responded: “We don’t care when we win it – as long as we win it.

“It’s about getting that trophy, getting that third title to his name. The fact that it’s done in Qatar on a Saturday evening would make Sunday even more enjoyable to go into that grand prix, if he achieves it, as a three-time World Champion. So I don’t think it really matters.”

Pressed on whether Verstappen could potentially go on and eclipse Hamilton and Michael Schumacher’s shared F1 benchmark of seven titles, Horner cautioned that “eight is a huge amount of distance away”.

Instead, Horner proclaims that Verstappen is entirely focused on the present and winning the remaining races this season.

“There are not many drivers with more than three [titles]. You’ve got Sebastian [Vettel], Alain Prost, [Juan-Manuel] Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton,” he noted.

“It’s a pretty select club he’ll enter when he wins his third world title.

“For him, he’s just an out-and-out racer. I know he’s proud of what he’s doing and achieving, but he’s forward-looking. He’s not rearward looking and I think that for him it’s about the next race.

“There is still six races to go this year and I know he’s motivated to try and win all of them.”

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff sympathises with George Russell following the latter’s last-lap crash in Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Russell was chasing his second career Formula 1 victory in the closing stages at Singapore’s Marina Bay Circuit.

Having pitted for fresh Medium rubber during the latter half of the race, along with team-mate Lewis Hamilton, Russell was able to charge back toward the leading group as the laps counted down.

With Hamilton in tow, Russell was enjoying a significant pace advantage over the leaders on worn Hard tyres and was able to dispatch Leclerc with ease.

However, passing Norris was another matter altogether, with leader Sainz aiding his former McLaren team-mate with DRS in order to defend against the Mercedes drivers.

It all came undone for Russell on the approach to Turn 10 on the final tour of the circuit, where a brush with the outside barrier sent the young Brit off track and out of the race, but Wolff believes the mistake will benefit Russell in the long run.

“I’m sad for George because he delivered a 99.9% fantastic weekend and a split-second lack of concentration, clipped the wall and it happened,” he told Autosport.

“What I said to him is I’d rather have this happening now, and the learning is there, than when we race for a victory or for a championship. That’s going to be engraved in him, this mistake.

“We must not forget it’s his second year in a competitive car and he was really giving it all he had. He was pushing hard in order to win the race.

“At that stage, the only way of overtaking Norris and maybe Sainz was to just not leave a millimetre on track.

“Lando kissed the wall and he was behind him when he hit harder, so that cost him the race but if you push like this, things can happen.

“I think George is of course an out-and-out racer and is devastated. But what I said to him was, we played for third place and not a win.

“It is a steep learning curve and with such situations, a second year at Mercedes, it is not going to happen again when it is for a victory or a championship. But obviously he is very upset.”

Russell, who outscored Hamilton during their first year together at Mercedes in 2022, along with securing a maiden F1 victory in Sao Paulo, will have to dust himself off quickly, shrug off the disappointment and go again this weekend in Japan.

The last-lap incident leaves Russell seventh in the Drivers’ Championship standings with 109 points, 12 ahead of Norris in eighth and 14 behind Leclerc in sixth.

The Mercedes driver believed he was “half a car’s length” from securing victory in Singapore and that his mistake put “a shadow on the whole weekend.”

That weekend in Singapore – excluding the last-lap crash – also saw Russell miss out on pole position by the smallest of margins, 0.072s off Sainz’s time, leaving him plenty of positives to draw from in order to fight at the front once again in Suzuka.

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has saluted the strategy call the side took in its failed pursuit of victory in the Singapore Grand Prix.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were running second and fourth respectively when Esteban Ocon’s stricken Alpine saw a Virtual Safety Car period introduced on Lap 44.

Mercedes pitted its cars for a brand-new set of the Medium tyre, with both drivers rapidly reeling in Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, who had stayed out on ageing Hard rubber.

Although the Mercedes pair caught the back of the leading duo with several laps to spare, Russell could not overtake Norris’ McLaren, eventually crashing at Turn 10 on the final lap to hand third place to his team-mate.

Wolff admits he was inspired by the ambitious call of the drivers and the team, claiming that Mercedes had the capacity to secure a 1-2 finish in the best-case scenario.

“We tried to win and we didn’t,” expressed Wolf. “The positives are that I love the call from driver and strategy team to say: ‘We’re going for it’.

“Worst case was second and fifth. [The] Best case, we win or first and second. And our plan showed that at times.”

The eight-time title-winning team boss has backed the decision despite coming up short, adding that it’s a choice he would opt for “every day of the week” in hindsight.

“I think it was the absolute right call, we would have finished P2, P5 – maybe P2, P4, and we wanted to win the race,” he continued.

“So, we took the risk and I would every day of the week do it again.”

Wolff believes Mercedes showcasing the potential to finish first and second in Singapore “on merit” will “energise” the team for the remainder of the campaign.

The Austrian insists the strong performance of the W14 around the Marina Bay Circuit also demonstrates “not everything is wrong” with Mercedes’ 2023 car.

“Overall, I’m happy about the performance,” Wolff underlined. “I’m happy about how the car was all weekend, and I think we gave it our best shot.

“I think this is the positive… we’ve been really strong here, we could have won the race.

“We could have finished first and second on merit and that is what we need to take from here and clearly will energise us even more that, on this particular track, we were strong.

“Not everything is wrong. But then you see on the planner, P1 and P2 popping up at times and you think about ‘Could have been an unbelievable day’ and it’s not.

“But I’d rather then fall back on the positives of this weekend and go back home and say ‘that was a good one’.”

Russell’s race-ending crash witnessed Mercedes lose valuable points in the standings to Ferrari, who scored the first non-Red Bull victory in 2023 through Sainz.

The Italian outfit has reduced the margin to the Brackley-based squad to only 24 points ahead of this weekend’s round in Japan.