Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned Red Bull that McLaren “annihilating” the entire grid in the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix has made the championship “wide open”.
McLaren delivered a statement upon F1’s return at Zandvoort last weekend as Lando Norris registered a resounding 22-second winning margin over Max Verstappen.
The Woking-based squad has continued to eradicate Red Bull’s points advantage since updates in Miami elevated the MCL38 into a car that can win consistent races.
Further upgrades to the car helped contribute to Norris imposing a crushing loss on Red Bull, which has seen the reigning champion’s gap diminish more to 30 points.
Wolff, whose Mercedes team won eight consecutive titles from 2014-21, has admitted that Red Bull’s unbeaten run under F1’s current regulations is now under threat.
“McLaren has proven in the past, since Austria last year that they brought upgrades to the car that landed spot on,” Wolff told media including Motorsport Week.
“And that was just very impressive to see today. He’s basically annihilated all of the competition, with the fastest lap at the end on a 42-lap old Hard. Twenty seconds in gap.
“I think this championship, the Constructors’ Championship, is wide open in my opinion and it’s good for Formula 1.”
But while Red Bull is no longer the favourites to retain the Constructors’ Championship, Verstappen, who came second in his home race, maintains a 70-point margin.
Wolff, who has been open about his desire to prise Verstappen to Mercedes, is sure that the Dutchman’s huge lead will be impossible to close with nine rounds to go.
Nevertheless, the Austrian suspects that Mercedes’ renewed competitiveness, which saw it win three races in four prior to the break, could be an aid to Norris’ hopes.
“The Drivers’ Championship, I think Max to a certain degree has it under control still, but it will be exciting to see whether there is a change of powers,” he added.
“And how much can we participate in that, because we were able in the last few races, and I think if we would have had a car that was about normal, where we would have ended up, I don’t think we would have beaten Norris, but we would have been in a little bit more exciting position.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has insisted that it must react to McLaren’s dominant showing, although he concedes there is no short-term fix.
“McLaren are setting the benchmark now,” Horner acknowledged. “That’s clear in terms of pace.
“They’ve been that the last couple of races. Certainly in Hungary they were very competitive. Spa it was Mercedes. Here, Lando in particular was very, very strong.
“Definitely they have the fastest car at the moment. We have to respond to that.
“It’s not rocket science, there’s no silver bullets in this business, it’s a matter of understanding the problem, addressing the problem and then implementing fixes to it.”
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