Wolff admits development gap as Norris wins again
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has conceded that his team cannot match the development pace of their rivals, after Lando Norris took a second consecutive win for McLaren at the Dutch Grand Prix. The Austrian's comments came as Norris closed the gap at the top of the drivers' championship, where Kimi Antonelli still leads by 59 points, with George Russell a further 24 points back.
"We haven't got the money to put developments on account," Wolff said, explaining that Mercedes are choosing to allocate their development budget differently to McLaren and Ferrari, who have brought extensive upgrades to recent races. "We are trying to evenly split that through the season," he added.
Norris and Hamilton in the mix
Norris's win at Zandvoort was his second in a row this season, pulling him to within 83 points of leader Antonelli, while Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth, remains 59 points adrift of his former teammate. Wolff described the threat from both drivers as real, especially with 11 races still to come.
"It's not only Norris, it's also Ferrari," he said, with the Scuderia having won two races this season through Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. "Even if you have a gap of 50 points to lose, that's something you need to be worried about."
A season of upgrades
McLaren have introduced significant upgrades to their car in Hungary and again in the Netherlands, while Ferrari are expected to bring their own package to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Mercedes, by contrast, have only brought one major development all season, at the Canadian Grand Prix, and Wolff admitted the ride is tougher now than it was at the start of the year.
McLaren principal Andrea Stella said he expected Mercedes to accelerate their development regardless of their cost cap position, suggesting that the Silver Arrows' relative lack of upgrades may not last all season. The two teams are expected to bring further updates to the Bahrain Grand Prix, with Mercedes set to introduce new parts of their own.