This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
On a chaotic rain-hit German Grand Prix day, Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff expressed disappointment and frustration with the team's performance, citing poor preparations and wrong calls.
Wolff, who was dressed in retro 1950s outfits to celebrate 125 years of motorsport, acknowledged that the team was not prepared for the conditions and made mistakes that led to the crashes of both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton, who had been feeling poorly with a sore throat, finished 11th after two mistakes and six pit-stops, while Bottas crashed out in the closing laps.
Max Verstappen claimed his second victory of the season for Red Bull, making five pit-stops on the way, to finish ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso.
Wolff emphasized the importance of focusing on the job and not being distracted by external factors, saying, "This shows that you shouldn't fool around with the staff. You should concentrate on the job. We are not superstitious, but we believe in karma and it's a day to learn."
"Many drivers crashed," said Wolff. "Overall, for us, it was a bad day and, for the drivers, it was a bad day, it cannot go much worse." Hamilton also accepted his share of the blame for the team's worst result since his collision with Nico Rosberg in the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, saying, "Me hitting the wall not helpful and them putting on the slick tyres not helpful either." "It was my worst day in the office for a long, long time. You live and you learn. I don't know what happened today, but I'm glad its over and there are more races ahead so we can focus on regrouping and coming back strong."
