Wolff urges calm after P2 Hamilton: 'Only fools are optimistic'

Toto Wolff insists he is keeping "both feet on the ground", although he admits Mercedes are cautiously optimistic after Lewis Hamilton's second-place finish in the Mexican Grand Prix.

Wolff: 'Only fools are optimistic'

Mercedes has shown good pace in recent races, so the German racing team's latest update package seems to be working for Hamilton and teammate George Russell. The former did suffer a setback in the US GP, where he also crossed the finish line in second place but was dropped from the results because the plank on the floor did not pass inspection.

Given that last year's Formula 1 race at Interlagos was the only one the team managed to win, things seem to be looking good for Mercedes at the moment. However, Wolff does not want to draw any premature conclusions. "If I’m too optimistic here… you know only fools are optimists. I’d rather stay with both feet on the ground, do the best job, qualify in the front and hopefully we can challenge him [Verstappen]," he is quoted by F1.com.

Looking ahead to the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Mercedes boss said: "We’ve showed encouraging pace in recent races so [we] head to Interlagos with cautious optimism, although we know W14 can prove unpredictable." The German team's focus is now entirely on second place in the constructors' championship, for which it is in a battle with Italian Ferrari.