Mercedes are stuck in “no-man’s land”, according to team principal Toto Wolff, after another poor weekend at the F1 Japanese Grand Prix.
George Russell finished seventh in Suzuka, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton struggling in ninth, to leave the team clinging to fourth place in the constructors’ championship by a point.
After yesterday’s race, Wolff said: “If your expectation is to eventually race for wins and championships, then you can say we are in a bit of no-man’s land.”
The Austrian wrote off not just his team’s chances but the rest of the grid’s of getting close to Max Verstappen after another dominant win, saying: “No one is going to catch Max this season.”
The blip of Australia aside, Verstappen has been dominant this season and will be the overwhelming favourite when racing resumes in China in two weekends’ time.
Despite another Red Bull one-two, team boss Christian Horner downplayed Wolff’s comments.
He said: “I’ve learned not to listen too much to Toto over the years. It’s very early to write off your year. [Verstappen] is very impressive. The form of last year has carried through.
“The way he managed to extend the tyre length here was very impressive. He’s got a very wise head on still pretty young shoulders.”
