Wolff labels Brazil sprint race “a bruising day” for Mercedes

Mercedes struggled for outright pace at Interlagos despite enjoying great starts.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton ran second and fourth respectively after the opening lap but ultimately finished fourth and seventh.

Mercedes struggled with tyre wear, particularly Hamilton, who lost out to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in the closing laps.

Reflecting on the 24-laps sprint, Wolff labelled it a “bruising day” for Mercedes.

“I think we pushed very hard at the beginning, the car was not balanced right, and then you put in some sliding and it just killed the tyres,” he said. 

“It’s what happened to George in Mexico. I think we had a little bit too weak of a rear end, and then obviously it’s balancing them on the knife’s edge.

“Trying to hold onto the pace was maybe something we need to learn for tomorrow, but a bruising day.

“I don’t think that there is a magic screw you can turn and then everything is fixed. 

“It was very hot, everything went against us today. We need to really scratch our heads hard over what we can do for tomorrow, and improve.”