Mercedes is not making F1 'boring' – Haug

Jul.22 (GMM) Toto Wolff has hit back at the notion that Mercedes will easily cruise the 2020 title.

That is despite the fact that, after the German team’s third consecutive win of the season last Sunday, the Mercedes team boss admitted that the 2020 car is “a weapon” with “a lot of power and a lot of downforce”.

At the same time, rivals Red Bull and Ferrari are struggling.

But Wolff insisted: “I don’t think I saw the competition destroyed in Hungary.

“The differences are minimal. With a retirement from Lewis, the championship lead disappears. We must continue to attack.”

Others, though – like former Mercedes boss Norbert Haug – think Mercedes is so good now that the team can almost be called “flawless”.

“The perfection that has been achieved in the past six years is simply unparalleled in the history of racing,” he told Sky Deutschland.

“It is well deserved. If you say that Mercedes makes the world championship boring, I have to correct that.

“It is those who cannot keep up who make it boring,” Haug added.

Either way, most agree that a lack of competition at the very front is at least a problem for Formula 1.

For one, former F1 driver JJ Lehto says it makes Lewis Hamilton’s achievements difficult to assess, even if the Mercedes driver is likely to match Michael Schumacher’s title record in 2020.

“Even then, there were always tough challengers who were able to fight for victory in the races,” he told Iltalehti, referring to the Schumacher era.

“Today it’s different. Somehow it feels like the job is so easy for Hamilton with a completely superior car,” said Lehto.

“It would be nice at least to see Max Verstappen as Hamilton’s teammate. It would be like Prost-Senna, and if Hamilton was in the Red Bull, it certainly wouldn’t be like it is for him at Mercedes now.”