Wolff: Hamilton Turkey progress "tough" after FP2 traffic issues
Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff believes it will be tough for Lewis Hamilton to move up in Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix after being alarmed by traffic issues in free practice.
Hamilton took pole on Saturday ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, but a 10-place grid penalty for a new engine means he will cede the front row to his teammate and to his title rival respectively, and start from 11th.
While Mercedes appears to enjoy a considerable pace advantage at Istanbul Park, Mercedes chief Wolff thinks that it will be hard for Hamilton to move up after witnessing the championship leader being stuck in traffic in Friday practice and he believes the team will have to bank on a clever strategy instead.
"Yesterday in the long run at a certain stage we were behind a Haas and also a Williams and it was very difficult to even come close," Wolff explained to Sky.
"I guess that strategy is more going to be the one that's going to help tomorrow.
"You need to look at the positives that the car is very quick, and we can start from pole.
"On the negative side, it's a weekend where we could have had a front row lockout and we haven't, we need to go to the back and it's not going to be easy with all the cars running on medium in front of him apart from [AlphaTauri's soft tyre running] Yuki Tsunoda. Progress will be a tough one."
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Asked if Bottas will be required to help Hamilton, Wolff said that the best thing the Finn could do is to simply hold off Verstappen and win the race.
"We have to look after ourselves," he said. "Valtteri wants to win the race, and this is the best opportunity, and it's helping Lewis.
"The Red Bulls have been so competitive this weekend and over the long runs, it was worse than on a single lap."
Hamilton was also wary of traffic issues in the race but said his goal to still try and win the race is "not impossible".
"My eyes are still solely set on winning the race," Hamilton told Sky. "It’s going to be very hard from 11th, but not impossible.
"I don’t know what the weather is going to do tomorrow also, so just staying on my toes and making sure that we deliver maximum attack tomorrow.
"I honestly have got to take it one step at a time tomorrow. It’s a long race.
"If I can be higher up early on, then great, but I’ve got to stay out of trouble of course, and that will be my priority initially, and see if it’s possible to pick them off one by one."
He added: "It's not the easiest overtaking at the moment and we're all on the same tyre as well, so I imagine tomorrow is going to be difficult to move up."
Related video
F1 Turkish GP: Hamilton tops qualifying, Bottas on pole
Leclerc's Turkish GP third on F1 grid came despite "tricky" set-up
IndyCar's next-gen engines will now be 2.2-litre motors instead of 2.4
The next-gen IndyCar engine formula, set for introduction in 2024, will now couple hybrid units with 2.2-litre engines rather than increasing capacity to 2.4l.
Maserati unveils livery for its debut Formula E campaign
The Maserati MSG squad has unveiled the livery of its Tipo Folgore car it will race for the first time in Formula E next season.
FIA: "No doubt" floor changes for 2023 were right thing to do
The FIA believes there is “no doubt” it did the right thing by changing Formula 1’s floor rules for 2023 to combat porpoising.
F1 world champion Villeneuve in frame for Vanwall WEC seat
Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve is in the running for a seat with the Vanwall Le Mans Hypercar squad in next year’s World Endurance Championship.
How Tyrrell’s post-Stewart era descended into a fight to survive
Glory days for Tyrrell became increasingly infrequent after Jackie Stewart’s retirement. But in the latest instalment of his history of the team for Autosport's sister title GP Racing, MAURICE HAMILTON recalls how Ken Tyrrell’s plucky and defiantly small team stayed bold enough to innovate – springing a surprise with F1’s first six-wheeled car
The forgettable final car of a former F1 giant that gave Damon Hill his start
While it launched the F1 career of a future world champion, STUART CODLING recalls that the BT60 was also the final nail in the coffin of a once-great marque 30 years ago. Here is its story
How departing F1 boss Brawn views F1’s new rules - and the future
Multiple-title-winning designer and team boss Ross Brawn is finally leaving Formula 1 after nearly 50 years in motorsport. But he still has plenty of insights on what’s working and what comes next, as he revealed to Autosport in a far-reaching exclusive interview in Abu Dhabi
The key F1 management call Ferrari must make to avoid more defeat
OPINION: Mattia Binotto’s departure from Ferrari will naturally bring a range of changes across the Formula 1 team. But how the changes shape up and the impact they could have is set to be dictated by a key direction Ferrari’s top dogs will need to pick
The difference between Mercedes’ stumble and the fall of F1 giants
OPINION: Mercedes endured its worst season of the hybrid Formula 1 era, but was mercifully spared its first winless campaign in over a decade late on. It has owned up to the mistakes it made which led to its troubled W13. And while its task to return to title-challenging contention is not small, its 2022 season seems more like a blip than the beginning of a downward spiral.
The physical focus bringing out the best of an F1 midfield star
Esteban Ocon likes to point out he’s the first driver since Lewis Hamilton to emerge from a spell as Fernando Alonso’s team-mate with a superior overall points record. While some may disagree, as LUKE SMITH discovered, the 2021 Hungarian GP winner reckons it’s not just luck which has made him France’s pre-eminent Formula 1 driver of the moment…
How Red Bull's dynamic leader shaped its F1 philosophy
The death of Dietrich Mateschitz last month has not only deprived Red Bull of its visionary founder, it has shorn Formula 1 of one of its most influential benefactors. Mateschitz himself was famously media-shy, preferring to let the brand do the talking on his behalf. And, while it’s now normal to speak of Red Bull F1 titles and champions made, Mateschitz never assumed it would be easy or even possible – as ANTHONY ROWLINSON discovered during this previously unpublished interview from 2006…
Can Mercedes break Formula 1's cycle of doom?
OPINION: Teams that have dominated for long periods throughout Formula 1's history often take years to get back to the top of the tree once they've slipped down. But it remains to be seen whether the same will happen to Mercedes after a challenging 2022 season