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No clear favorite on any given weekend in 2018 - Wolff
Toto Wolff says it is tough to predict how competitive Mercedes will be at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix as there are no clear favorites this season.
After 12 rounds of the season, Mercedes holds a slender 10-point advantage over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, while Lewis Hamilton is 24 points clear of Sebastian Vettel in the drivers’ standings. Hamilton has won each of the last two races despite Ferrari appearing to have a quicker car on both occasions.
Wolff says the way wins have been shared between the two teams highlights how difficult it is to name a favorite at many circuits.
“After five races in six weeks before the summer break, the shutdown came at just the right time,” Wolff said. “It gave us the opportunity to recharge a little and return energized for what will certainly be a hard-fought second half. Both the drivers' and the constructors' championship are extremely tight and I expect it to be a close battle all the way through to Abu Dhabi.
“It's very difficult to make any predictions for Spa. If this season has taught us one thing, it's that there are no clear favorites for specific tracks anymore and that it's not always the fastest car that wins. Instead, the competitive balance seems to swing back and forth from circuit to circuit.”
Amid such a close fight in both championships, Wolff says the current season is shaping up to be a classic with Mercedes having won five races, Ferrari four and Red Bull three.
“What is clear is that our competitors are pushing extremely hard and put up a very tough fight. So we need to keep our heads down, work hard to eliminate our weaknesses and further build on our strengths, and take the season race by race. 2018 promises to be a season that we will still be talking about in years to come and we can't wait to get out there and start racing again.”
Wolff’s comments come after Fernando Alonso stated the main reason he has opted not to race in Formula 1 in 2019 is because the series has become too predictable.
Chris Medland
While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.
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