“Knowing that we are leaving Europe unbeaten is just insane!” said Christian Horner after Red Bull capped off Formula 1’s European leg with 14 wins in 14 races. It’s a record that’s never been achieved before, and it came at the hands of Max Verstappen. Going into the Italian GP last weekend, Verstappen was on the brink of making history. Having equaled Sebastian Vettel’s 2013 nine-race-win streak at the Dutch GP, the Monza weekend was his opportunity to break yet another record. And he did, shutting down everything Lewis Hamilton had to say to him before the weekend started.

Now that the Dutchman and Red Bull have achieved what was considered unachievable, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff took the opportunity to point fingers at Hamilton for depriving Mercedes of that same “perfection.”

How did Lewis Hamilton restrict Mercedes from beating Red Bull to the punch?

The RB19 is superior to every other car on the grid this season. If the Milton-Keynes team winning every race so far isn’t proof enough, what is? Even with other teams developing their cars to close the gap, Verstappen and Red Bull only seem to be getting stronger. If this level of progression keeps going, there’s absolutely no doubt that Red Bull could win every race this season, a feat that’s never before been achieved. 

Going against the odds and breaking records is what Red Bull has been doing this season. So, if any team could do it, it’d be the Milton-Keynes outfit. Seven years ago, though, in 2016, Mercedes had the opportunity to do it. Toto Wolff revealed what went wrong. In an interview after the Italian GP discussing Red Bull’s unbeaten record, he said, “It’s a very beautiful record because it means perfection. We didn’t have that because our two drivers crashed in Barcelona in 2016 and because of a broken engine at the Malaysian Grand Prix that year.” [Translated by Google]

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2016 saw Hamilton and Nico Rosberg go against each other for the title, each sharing race wins throughout the season. Had it not been for their infamous first-lap crash during the Spanish GP (that inadvertently gave Verstappen his first win) and Hamilton’s engine problems in Malaysia, Mercedes would’ve taken every win that season. Wolff added, “I think they have to sabotage themselves if they don’t want to win every race this season.” As appreciative as Wolff was during this interview, he didn’t have the same feelings about Verstappen and Red Bull’s records right after the Monza race.

‘Don’t Say That Records Don’t Count if You’re Chasing That Eighth Title So Hard’: Hamilton & Wolff’s Plan to Belittle Verstappen Backfires

Toto Wolff joined Lewis Hamilton to demean Verstappen’s dominance

On Media Day at the Italian GP, Hamilton—in an attempt to downplay Verstappen’s dominance, said, “In my personal opinion, Valtteri [Bottas] and all my teammates have been stronger than the teammates Max has had.” Unbothered by what Hamilton had to say, the reigning champion proved the seven-time champion and every doubter wrong by breaking Vettel’s record three days later, etching his name in the F1 record books forever.

Considering Mercedes had its own dominant period from 2014 to 2021, Wolff should’ve been appreciative of how much effort it takes to reach the top and stay there. Instead, he decided to demean Verstappen and Red Bull—jumping on Hamilton’s insult bandwagon. After the race, he said, “I mean, our situation was maybe a little bit different because we had two guys fighting against each other within the team. Those numbers are for Wikipedia. Nobody reads that anyway.”

Had Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg not crashed during the Spanish GP, do you think things might’ve played out differently, and Mercedes would’ve achieved the record Red Bull is on its way to achieving?

WATCH THIS STORY | Lewis Hamilton remains unwavering in his determination to halt Max Verstappen’s dominance, despite enduring significant neglect from the FIA