Toto Wolff remained unmoved despite suffering the US GP defeat on Sunday, saying there is still all to play for.
Mercedes could only finish second at Austin, as Lewis Hamilton lost out on the victory to Max Verstappen. The result put him above Hamilton by 12 points, while Red Bull slashed the gap to Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship to 23 points.
The next race is the Mexican GP, a track historically dominated by Red Bull. Despite that, Wolff remained unmoved even though his team lost at the US GP, saying this is very much a race-by-race quest.
“Mexico was traditionally a track that was difficult for us, but this season everything can change,” Wolff said, as quoted by Racingnews365.com.
“I think it’s really race-by-race and (we need to) keep the spirits up. I think the morale is high. We are right there, we can win every race. It’s about avoiding the DNFs – they are the killers.
“It’s good fun for everybody. There is pressure, but it’s positive pressure.”
Only as good as the last race
The last time Mercedes had a title challenge on this level was when they faced and beat Ferrari in 2018 and 2019. Wolff commented on the current title contest, and said that he enjoys being challenged.
“I think we’ve had tough fights with Ferrari in 2018 and ’19, and we won seven times in a row, but that is no comfort whilst you are in a championship (battle) that’s hard,” he added.
“History has no relevance. Only if you stop one day you can look at the stats that don’t interest anybody anyway, so it’s hard, but we have fun, we’re enjoying it.”
If Red Bull beats Mercedes, it would end a seven-year winning streak for the German team, and net Red Bull a title after eight years.
Read more: Wolff dismissive of Red Bull’s tech complaints – “We are not allowed to touch that at all”