Mercedes fans saw their lives flash before their eyes on lap 40 of the 2023 Mexican GP when Lewis Hamilton attempted to overtake Leclerc for P2! The seven-time world champion dove down the inside of the Monegasque. As the Brit’s right tires slid on the grass, fans were hoping it wouldn’t end like Rosberg and Hamilton’s entanglement at the 2016 Spanish GP. Fortunately for the LH Army, Hamilton delivered a mega drive, inching closer to Sergio Perez in the championship battle!

However, it really wasn’t Hamilton’s day during qualifying. The Brit qualified 5th behind a smiling Daniel Ricciardo, not looking too happy with the w14’s setup post the session. But the Brackley outfit managed to turn things around before the race, allowing Hamilton to shine on the track. There was one man who was happier than anyone in the LH Army, Toto Wolff. The Mercedes boss was ecstatic on the team radio, but had some choice words to share about Hamilton’s oh-so-familiar tire woes!

Lewis Hamilton left Toto Wolff awe-struck at the Mexican GP with his perfection

After facing a post-race disqualification from a well-deserved P2 finish in Austin last week, Hamilton was unsure if they could repeat a stellar performance in Mexico. The seven-time world champion had been vocal through the weekend about his struggles with the W14, stating that the difference in the set-up from Austin to Mexico was night and day.

Fortunately for the Brackley outfit, race day would be a different story! With the addition of race-level fuel, the car was heavier, leaving Hamilton delighted. The balance felt much better according to the Brit, with the heavier car eliminating the peakiness of the W14 with a qualifying fuel load. This sent Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff into a moment of laughter as he reflected on Hamilton’s long history of issues with the tires and balance, saying, “It’s been 12 years now that we have been discussing during the race, ‘They’re [the tires] not going to last’, but today I think it was the first [time] he said the car is actually good!”

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The Mexican GP turned out to be just the redemption that Mercedes wanted after their dismal outing at the US Grand Prix. Their streak of bad luck that started with Hamilton and Russell’s collision in Qatar ended with Hamilton delivering a mega performance. However, the car is still not where Hamilton would like it to be, and the inconsistency during qualifying cost the team the potential for a win. Fortunately, Hamilton’s tantalizing performance was backed up by Mercedes’ boss.

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Toto Wolff promises to aid Lewis Hamilton in the battle for P2

Toto Wolff reflected in an interview with SkySports on Mercedes’ chances of challenging Max for the win if their qualifying session had been better, and what went wrong. Wolff felt confident with the car’s performance after the floor redesign but reflected on a poor qualifying, “I think we need to qualify better and then probably the straight-line speed wouldn’t have been so competitive against Max, but overall the pace is there.”

As eyes were on Hamilton’s resurgence, his turn-one shenanigans in Qatar and P2 finish crushed the hopes of Checo Perez. Narrowing the points margin post his US GP disqualification, the Brit bagged 18 points after the tables were turned at the Mexican GP. And Wolff hinted at intentions of a turnaround.

The only thing stopping Hamilton from actualizing his full potential this year was the W14 – all the more evident when compared with George Russell’s result in Mexico; Russell only managed to finish 6th, failing to defend from a charging Lando Norris. Toto Wolff is well aware of this and reflected it on the radio right after Hamilton crossed the line to bag second. He added, “Lewis, fantastic! Now we just need to give you a car that can win. The driving was perfection!” With that statement, the Mercedes game plan is quite clear: give Lewis Hamilton a car worthy of a seven-time world champion, and watch him flourish!

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