'Like a field of F2 cars against an F1 car' - Mercedes boss Toto Wolff left exasperated as Red Bull dominance continues
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Published 24/07/2023 at 16:00 GMT+1
Toto Wolff and Mercedes could only watch on as Red Bull's dominance continued in Hungary. Max Verstappen earned a seventh straight race win to hand his team a record 12th victory in a row, beating a McLaren record that had stood since 1988. Wolff described this season as "like a field of Formula 2 cars against a Formula 1" after watching Lewis Hamilton fall to fourth from pole.
Mercedes' Austrian team chief Toto Wolff is pictured at the Hungaroring race track in Mogyorod near Budapest on July 22, 2023, ahead of the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix.
Image credit: Getty Images
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says this season has been like “a field of Formula 2 cars” competing with a Formula 1 car after Max Verstappen and Red Bull continued their dominance in Hungary.
Two-time world champion Verstappen claimed his seventh consecutive race win to hand Red Bull a record-breaking 12th victory in a row.
They have blown away the competition in 2023, with Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez leading the Driver Standings and Red Bull sitting 229 points ahead of Mercedes in the Constructors’.
"That's where they are - it's like a field of Formula 2 cars against a Formula 1, and they've done the best job,” Wolff said to Sky Sports.
“As long as you're within the regulations, they've done the best job.
"That is what it is. It's a meritocracy. We are going to fight back and win races and championships, but today you've seen the pace that Max had, and we saw it in the long runs already in Friday."
It was a frustrating weekend for Wolff and Mercedes, as Lewis Hamilton earned his first pole position of the season in qualifying, only to drop to fourth on race day.
The mood was very different in the Red Bull camp, as they celebrated beating a race streak record that had stood since McLaren’s 11-win run in 1988.
"As a young kid I remember watching the McLarens of Senna and Prost achieving that incredible feat,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
“To think we have now bettered that. They were an incredible team and Ron Dennis was an incredible team principal.
"It's something the whole team here in Budapest, in Milton Keynes and everyone behind the scenes has worked so, so hard for. It will mean so much."
Next u up on the Formula 1 calendar is the Belgian Grand Prix on July 30.
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