Wolff to Hamilton: "We are not worthy for a world champion"

Lewis Hamilton came no further than 13th place in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff thought apologies were in order and he apologised to his driver after the finish for 'the car he had to drive'. Moreover, he called the W13 'not world champion-worthy'.

For Hamilton, every lap of the race in Imola will have felt like one too many. He was stuck in the DRS train behind Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon for over forty laps and was lapped by Max Verstappen, but according to the Mercedes team boss, his driver is not to blame for the disappointing result.

"He was squeezed by the Alpine [Esteban Ocon's unsafe release]," Wolff told Formula1.com. The undercut by Gasly and Albon then caused Hamilton to get stuck behind them, and according to Wolff, overtaking was impossible from then on because of the DRS train that was created.

Despite labeling the Mercedes car as "undrivable," the team boss simultaneously points to the potential of the W13. "I think we saw with George where the car can drive if you are in free air," he continued.

Nevertheless, the Austrian believes that the material is severely underperforming. "We are not good enough for a world champion – not worthy for a world champion – we just need to fix the car," said Wolff, who stressed he has every confidence that Mercedes will be in a better position in Miami.