Wolff after Mercedes updates: 'Difference with Red Bull about 15 seconds'

The moment Lewis Hamilton and George Russell stepped onto the podium after the Barcelona Grand Prix, there was huge applause from the Spanish crowd. No doubt the fans present would have preferred to see their home favourites Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso on the podium of honour, but the two Mercedes men could count on a lot of enthusiasm.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes' team boss, had also heard it. His team's performance in Spain was perhaps the beginning of the resurgence, and that resurgence was rewarded with an ovation from the spectators. But, he said in a press meeting with GPblog and others: "Let's keep our expectations real. There's such a long way to go in order to catch a Red Bull. We just need to grind away. It's a good moment to see that the development direction is right."

Hamilton was cruising

So although Mercedes seems to have taken a step forward, their drivers still finished well behind winner Max Verstappen in the end. Hamilton had to concede 24 seconds to the reigning champion. "I think it was less, Lewis at the end. I think it was two seconds cruising or three seconds. Probably it's just 15 seconds and just over 66 laps."

Looking back, Mercedes had a bit of luck in Spain. As early as the first lap, Lando Norris hit Lewis Hamilton's car. Norris had to go to the pits with damage, and Hamilton was able to continue without any problems. "They made a mistake in front of him, and he need to get off the throttle that’s when Lando hit. It's a racing incident, unfortunate," Wolff said.