“It is important”: Toto Wolff emphasizes need for Mercedes to ‘bounce back immediately’ after disappointing US GP

Following an underwhelming outing in the recently concluded United States Grand Prix last weekend, Toto Wolff pointed out the need for Mercedes to revive their season. With five races to go before the season concludes, the Silver Arrows need to amplify their performance if they want to finish within the top three in the Constructors' Championship.

The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton had an unforgettable weekend at Austin. While Russell's P6 at the end of the day saved Wolff and Company's day, Hamilton's crash ruined things for them just after the race had started.

The seven-time world champion, who reportedly suffered issues with his W-15 following a few set-up changes to his car, lost control and beached his Mercedes on the sand. As Hamilton was immediately out, so was Mercedes' hope of points at COTA from him.

However, with the United States GP now concluded, Wolff looked ahead to the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix in Mexico. Speaking about the need to bounce back and keep their performances consistent, the Silver Arrows honcho said,

"After a difficult weekend in Austin, we have the opportunity to bounce back immediately in Mexico. Our performance in Texas showed that there is inherent performance in the car. Our challenge is extracting this consistently."

"That is not the result of one specific challenge, but the interaction of the car across both aero and mechanical factors. We have five more races to work on this before the end of the season. It is important that we do so, not only for our immediate performance but to also set ourselves up well for 2025," Toto Wolff added during the media interaction.

The Silver Arrows is currently occupying P4 in the Constructors' Championship with 344 points after 19 races and four Sprints. They are 152 points behind Ferrari in P3 and 200 points behind championship leader McLaren.

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Mercedes boss explained Lewis Hamilton's crash in the United States

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes looks on after crashing during the F1 Grand Prix of United States. Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton's crash during the 2024 United States GP raised multiple eyebrows. Fans and experts were stunned to see how the driver with 105 race wins suddenly beached his car on the sand. According to Toto Wolff, it wasn't entirely Hamilton's fault.

Following the conclusion of their race, the Mercedes boss explained that his team made a few changes to the W-15 ahead of the COTA race, which caused handling difficulties. He also added that dirty air could have contributed to the incident.

"100 percent car," Wolff told Sky Sports F1. "He was not even pushing at that stage. We saw it with George on Saturday, perhaps that was maybe over-pushing it, but still abrupt losing it and putting it in the wall."

Lewis Hamilton currently stands in the P6 of the Drivers' Championship with 177 points, 10 points ahead of his teammate George Russell.