Wolff expects Verstappen to attack at the start: "He just has to go for it"

Max Verstappen was doing a fantastic job and pole position seemed a certainty, but a collision with the wall put an end to that. Toto Wolff also saw it happen, but the Mercedes team boss didn't show any joy in his reaction.

After all, he saw that Red Bull Racing were significantly faster than Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, so he certainly expects Verstappen to come back in the race. "Formula 1 is crazy and full of surprises. They had a very dominant package. There car was great and they brought the tyre in the warm-up with a single lap, and we struggled to do that," Wolff said in a conversation with Sky Sports.

"Verstappen had a half-second lead and the pole was as good as in for him, but he went wide in the last corner," the Austrian continued. "We ended up 1-2 which is a big, big advantage for tomorrow but it's just crazy!"

Given the speed of Verstappen and Red Bull on Saturday, the Mercedes team boss certainly expects to see Verstappen back in the race. "He [Verstappen] just needs to go for to and if he stays in P3 after the first corner that is a big disadvantage but he needs to get past Valtteri and Lewis and we are going to fight," he continued.

"I just hope that we can take it into tomorrow. I think they have concentrated on a single lap that is why they brought he tyre into the window quickly and we have that tiny bit of advantage tomorrow. Who knows?" Wolff said.