"No one will ever be greater than Schumi": Toto Wolff says Michael Schumacher is the GOAT despite Lewis Hamilton's statistics

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has said that Michael Schumacher will always remain the greatest driver for him, irrespective of Lewis Hamilton’s statistics.

In an exclusive interview with German tabloid Bild, Wolff said:

"No one will ever be greater than Schumi. Even if the statistics would see Lewis in front. But Michael has shaped a generation like no other, he is iconic. You can't make comparisons across generations. Lewis is the greatest of his generation."

Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of clinching his eighth world title, surpassing Michael Schumacher’s record of seven and also equalling the latter’s record of five consecutive titles.

Wolff, who also owns a 30 per cent stake in the Mercedes F1 team, joined the squad along with Hamilton following Michael Schumacher’s second retirement at the end of 2013. Over the last few years, Wolff has been a close confidant of Lewis Hamilton and a staunch supporter of the latter’s bid for an eighth title this year.

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Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes struggling for race pace in Abu Dhabi

The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi was reconfigured for this year’s race in an effort to facilitate closer racing and lead to more overtaking opportunities.

However, coming into the race, many had suggested that the changes to the layout might be better suited to the strengths of the Mercedes, thereby giving Hamilton an advantage in his title bid.

Despite the Briton and his team-mate Valtteri Bottas topping the timesheets in FP2, Mercedes engineers have told German auto magazine AMUS that they are behind Red Bull in terms of long-run pace.

Mercedes trackside chief engineer Andrew Shovlin said:

“In the first practice session, the drivers were happy with the balance in the long run, not so much on one lap. In the second, it was the other way around. Our task now is to find out what the changes to the car had [achieved] between the sessions and how we can find an optimal compromise."

During FP1 on Sunday, both Mercedes cars looked more than half a second off Verstappen in terms of long-run pace. However, teams routinely turn down the engine during practice, both to reduce degradation and hide the car’s true potential.

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