Hamilton heads to British GP 20 points behind championship leader Vettel; Wolff says Mercedes have "unfinished business"
Monday 31 July 2017 11:44, UK
Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton has "deserved a lot better" in the last two grands prix and insists Mercedes are doing all they can to ensure he is not compromised by technical problems at the British GP.
Hamilton heads to his home grand prix at Silverstone trailing championship leader Sebastian Vettel by 20 points after finishing behind his title rival in both the Azerbaijan and Austrian GPs.
The Briton suffered a headrest issue when leading the race in Baku and finished fifth, before a five-place grid penalty due to an unscheduled gearbox change saw him start eighth and finish fourth in Austria.
Wolff believes Hamilton's driving has been almost perfect in both races and says Mercedes have "unfinished business" to take care of at Silverstone.
"The determination for Lewis to fight back with a strong performance this weekend needs no more explanation," Wolff said.
"Things could have been a lot worse at the last two races - but his performance and pace deserved a lot better. He has handled the setbacks with the calmness and maturity we have come to expect from him.
"Lewis is doing the job in a pretty perfect way right now and if he keeps doing that, the results will follow.
"From the team's perspective, we come to Silverstone with a feeling of unfinished business and needing to put things right, even though we took the win in Austria.
"In both Baku and Spielberg, we left points on the table that were there for the taking because of car problems that had nothing to do with our drivers. We are determined to make sure that doesn't happen in Silverstone."
Victory this weekend would see Hamilton become the first driver since Jim Clark to win the British GP four years in a row, while it would draw him level with Clark and Alain Prost as the most successful drivers with five wins each.
By contrast, the last two races have seen Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas reignite his title bid as he came from last, and a lap down, to finish second in Baku before winning from pole in Austria.
Bottas now trails Vettel by 35 points and Hamilton by 15 in the standings and Wolff believes the Finn is improving with every race.
"Valtteri keeps getting stronger with every race," he added.
"After the fightback in Baku, he just got on with the job in a cool and collected way in Austria. He knew we needed pole position and the win; he kept his feet on the ground, produced the start of his life and delivered.
"He's taking it step by step, concentrating on the things in his control that make the difference, and the results speak for themselves."
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