Toto Wolff playing down Mercedes expectations despite positive Canada result

Toto Wolff has said one swallow doesn’t make a summer when referring to Mercedes’ positive result at the Canadian GP.

The Mercs have had a difficult year by their own high standards and they are yet to see one of their drivers on the top step of the podium.

Indeed, Lewis Hamilton only made the top three for the second time this year with his P3 finish on Sunday in Canada, but that in itself was some achievement after he’d labelled the car ‘undriveable’ on Friday thanks to the initial set-up they’d put on it.

The hope, then, will be that they can run strong at Silverstone in a couple of weeks from now and challenge for victory even, though Toto Wolff has sought to temper expectations after a similarly good showing in Barcelona was followed by setbacks.

Speaking after the race in Montreal, the Merc boss said:

“One swallow doesn’t make a summer.

“We saw that swallow in Barcelona but somehow it flew somewhere else!

“We need to be careful. We were off the pace on Friday. In the wet we were good, I think that was respectable, and at times on Sunday, we were with the quickest cars.

“In the second stint, Lewis and George were almost matching the front-runners, not quite but on some laps yes, and that is very encouraging to see.

“But we just need to be careful. There is so much work we need to do in order to be back at the front and we are not yet there.”