Lewis Hamilton regained the lead in the F1 Drivers’ Championship by taking his 100th Grand Prix victory in Russia on Sunday, beating Lando Norris after a late downpour and a well-timed switch to intermediate tires.
Title rival Max Verstappen recovered from an engine penalty that put him last on the grid in second place and secured Hamilton’s championship lead by only two points.
Mercedes was able to extend its lead in the constructors’ championship after Valtteri Bottas moved up to fifth in the closing stages, giving the team a 33-point lead over Red Bull.
Hamilton called Verstappen’s return to second place a “dream result” for the Red Bull driver after seeing the chance to get a bigger lead out.
Mercedes F1 boss Wolff accepted that there were some “loose ends” from recent racing weekends, but said the team couldn’t be defensive in the fight against Red Bull.
“In a way, we’re not maximizing our points rating, and the same is true today,” said Wolff after the race.
“I think qualification was everything. Valtteri is going back [after an engine penalty] We knew it was difficult and we ended up with first and fifth places and that’s very good, no doubt about it, and it’s Lewis’ 100th win.
“But Max recovered in spectacular form and that’s not good for the championship.
“In short, we just have to keep going very aggressively this season, not defensively but just moving forward to get those big points.
“Because neither we nor the others are really good at maximizing the points at the moment.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2nd place, and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1st place, celebrate with champagne on the podium
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Neither Mercedes nor Red Bull have managed to score a 1-2 finish this year. The only team that managed the feat is McLaren, which scored the maximum number of points in the Monza race.
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Monza and Sochi were usually two of Mercedes’ best racetracks, but Wolff said the tweaked regulations for 2021 meant it wasn’t possible to trust the historical form guide.
“I stopped trying to anticipate whether it will be a strong race for us historically, because everything changes with the new regulations, so so much has changed,” said Wolff.
“In any case, we knew Monza and Sochi would get closer to each other. And the reality is that we are where we are and that is the point gap and I doubt any of the two teams will make any massive premium or discount will.
“It’s really just about continuing to do the best possible job.”
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