Hill: Wolff's 'churlish' Verstappen remarks show he’s “hurting a bit now”

Mercedes team principal Wolff was dismissive of Verstappen’s record 10-race winning streak after Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, describing the feat as “irrelevant” and being a number for a Wikipedia statistics page. 

When asked about Verstappen’s historic achievement at Monza, Wolff told Sky Sports: "Our situation was maybe a little bit different because we had two drivers fighting against each other within the team. 

"I don't know whether he cares about the record. It's not something that would be important for me, any of those numbers.

"It's for Wikipedia and nobody reads that anyway.”

Wolff later said the Dutchman’s winning streak, something Mercedes failed to accomplish during their own period of domination between 2014 and 2020, is “completely irrelevant”. 

The Mercedes chief’s remarks did not impress 1996 world champion Hill. 

"It sounded a bit churlish and not very gracious, and unlike Toto because he's usually very sporting," Hill told Sky Sports News. 

"I think he's hurting a bit now. They know what it's like to be dominated and they didn't even get on the podium.

"They seem to be a bit stymied and can't seem to work out what to do, but who can? Ferrari did a great job in Monza - it suited their car, I think - but it seems like everywhere we go, the Red Bull has got the upper hand and we've just got to sit and watch this unfold.

"Can Red Bull win every race in the season? That's not beyond the realms of possibility.”

Mercedes endured a difficult weekend at Monza, with George Russell finishing a low-key fifth, one place ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. 

Speaking about Mercedes’ ongoing recovery effort to return to the front of the F1 grid, Hill added: "I think they're beavering away back at the factory in Brackley furiously and they probably have a title contender in their back pocket. 

"They just can't use it this year because it won't fit on this particular car, so it won't be until next year when we'll see that."