Mercedes has not (yet) lost control.
But the Sao Paulo Grand Prix could have been a point of no return without the demonstration of Lewis Hamilton, brilliant winner of the 19th round of the championship last Sunday.
In the race for a record eighth title (14 points behind Max Verstappen), the Briton breathed new life into a team that appeared on the verge of a nervous breakdown at Interlagos.
To discover
Formula 1: manufacturer ranking
Formula 1: drivers ranking
Naturally calm and composed, the boss of the Toto Wolff team appeared for a long time exhausted before releasing a laconic "
We fuck them all!"
»Saturday, when his protege recorded a rise of 15 places during the sprint qualification in Brazil. The next day, his virulent gesture towards the camera, when Hamilton took over Verstappen, did not go unnoticed. "
My reaction was directed against the race director
," explained the Austrian coldly at the microphone of Canal +.
This is after all that we had to accept this weekend, with, as a climax, the incident between Max and Lewis, which should have been penalized by at least five seconds.
"
The thinking head of the German team alludes to the rather aggressive defense of "
Mad Max
" on his colt on lap 48, when the two men left off.
This Tuesday, anniversary ... of the boss of Red Bull Christian Horner, with whom the passes of arms are numerous, Wolff invited the commissioners to look again at the incidents, contesting the absence of penalty with regard to the Dutchman .
Thus, the battle is no longer confined only to the limits of the track but moves to the edges of the settlement.
Read alsoFormula 1: Verstappen does not expect any sanction for the race incident
End of diplomacy
A regulation that had disqualified Hamilton from qualifying at Interlagos, for a rear spoiler that was too open by… 0.2 mm. A heavy penalty, which was added to the five penalty places on the grid planned against the Briton, who had the gift of getting the very civilized Wolff out of his hinges. "
Everything was against us this weekend,
" said the boss of Mercedes.
I think we took a lot of hits with the different decisions to the contrary. This is something I am angry with and I will stand up for my team no matter what. I have always been very diplomatic, but diplomacy ended on Sunday.
Coming out of a grueling Mexican weekend, when Hamilton and Mercedes could legitimately be afraid of heights, Wolff obviously had a heavy heart in Brazil.
“
I love Toto's fighting spirit, it makes me so happy
, Hamilton smiled from Doha on Thursday.
I saw this video of him in Brazil and it made me laugh, it was excellent.
If Toto was less involved and kept quiet, it would be different… this inner fire is an integral part of our whole team, his passion trickles down to everyone.
He is our guide and that is what we are looking for in his boss, that he is ready to go and fight for every millisecond, always ready to defend you.
"
Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff were smiling again after the Sao Paulo GP.
Steve Etherington / PANORAMIC
And the Briton returned him well, winning at Interlagos through thick and thin, after having climbed a total of 25 places in two days.
After which he himself was fined 5,000 euros for performing his lap of honor without a safety harness.
If a decision on whether or not to investigate the defense of Verstappen is made this Friday, this unusual relentlessness of Mercedes responds to a political logic popularized by the rivals of Red Bull and their boss Christian Horner, always quick to strike at the carries commissioners to verify the legitimacy of the Mercedes W12.
To read alsoFormula 1: against all odds, "King Lewis" clings masterfully to his crown
"Let them race"
This time, however, it was the boss of the Austrian team who had played the interested moderator on the radio, inviting the stewards not to dwell on the Tour 48 incident. “
Let them race!
», Exhorted Horner, aware of a maneuver at the limit of his foal.
Conversely, the person concerned had been at the very least virulent when he saw the incident at Silverstone, when Verstappen had been sent to the heap from the first round, the starting point of an increasingly fierce battle between the two rivals for the general classification.
Usually calm as well, Hamilton had also appeared on edge during the season. The example of his virulent exchange with his loyal engineer "Bono" in Turkey (5th) had revealed an unprecedented tension for the reigning world champion, aware that his crown was in great danger. Returning to 14 "
Mad Max
"
lengths
with three races to go, Hamilton has certainly put out a fire start in Brazil but the battles to come could add fuel to the fire as the constructors' championship is even more so. tight (11 points ahead for Mercedes). And at the time of "
taking a leap into the unknown
" in Qatar this Sunday and then in Saudi Arabia in two weeks (December 5), the tension is not about to fall.