F1 News: Toto Wolff Reveals Secret Behind Mercedes Canadian GP Performance

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff speaks out on George Russell's Canadian GP pole position.

Toto Wolff 2024 Chinese Grand Prix, Sunday - Sebastian Kawka / Mercedes Press Image

Mercedes' George Russell clinched pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix, underpinned by a series of enhancements to their race car, as described by Toto Wolff, the team’s principal. During an interview with Sky Sports F1, Wolff unpacked the details behind the vehicle's progression that paved the way for this significant achievement.

"First of all, you can’t talk about tomorrow yet. We’re on pole position and that was amazing. His lap was great," Wolff exclaimed, lauding Russell's standout performance. The acclaim was justified as Russell managed a leading time of 1:12.000 during the highly competitive Q3 session, an endeavor made possible by incremental but impactful modifications to the Mercedes car.

Wolff continued:

"As we’ve said for a while, we’re going in the right direction. We’ve brought lots of little bits over the last few races, some more visible than others, but definitely heading to a more performant car.

"In Formula 1, there is never one bit coming on the car, since the double diffuser, that makes all the difference. 

"We were running the old wing yesterday and we were very competitive in all conditions actually. So it’s what’s come on the floor, little bits on the body work and underneath, and obviously the front wing, which is more visible." 

Joining Russell on the front row tomorrow will be three-time champion Max Verstappen closely followed by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who will form a McLaren second row in third and fourth positions, respectively.

Canadian GP Qualifying Results

1. George Russell
2. Max Verstappen
3. Lando Norris
4. Oscar Piastri
5. Daniel Ricciardo
6. Fernando Alonso
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Yuki Tsunoda
9. Lance Stroll
10. Alex Albon
11. Charles Leclerc
12. Carlos Sainz
13. Logan Sargeant
14. Kevin Magnussen
15. Pierre Gasly
16. Sergio Perez
17. Valtteri Bottas
18. Esteban Ocon (not including his 5-place grid penalty)
19. Nico Hulkenberg
20. Zhou Guanyu