F1 News
Wolff bitter about disqualification: "We had a performance disadvantage"
Toto Wolff was shocked when Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from qualifying in the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. The Mercedes boss thought it was a joke when the news was revealed by team member Ron Meadows.
Mercedes
Wolff and Mercedes thought the wing was okay. He explains how they believe Hamilton picked up damage during the session and therefore the problem with the wing caused Hamilton a disadvantage.
"Until late this afternoon, we believed that it was okay. The wing was damaged, one side was okay, the middle was okay and the right side wasn't okay. This meant we had a performance disadvantage, we thought that considering all the aspects the FIA would say there was damage and therefore we weren't in breach of regulations. They also said nothing with intent. We were reading we were disqualified, I couldn't believe. I thought Ron Meadows was taking a joke when I looked at Whatsapp," Wolff said in an interview recorded by Sky Sports.
Mercedes bounced back in the sprint race with Valtteri Bottas securing pole position and Hamilton working his way through the field to P5.
"You have to take it on the chin, the last 60 minutes of motor racing from Bottas and Lewis brought the enjoyment back after the frustrations before," Wolff concluded.