“Lewis would have fought for the victory without the bollard,” reckons Toto Wolff

After the emotional Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reckoned that seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton could have fought for the victory at the Yas Marina had he started the race from further forward on the grid.

Having displayed a strong performance all through the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton endured a shock elimination in Q1 after a loose bollard got stuck under the front wing of his car.

Although he posted impressive sector times in the opening two segments of the Yas Marina Circuit, he lost a significant chunk of time through the last corners due to the loose bollard. It meant the seven-time world champion only qualified 18th, but he started from two places higher up on the grid due to penalties for Charles Leclerc and Alexander Albon.

On Sunday, Hamilton became the only driver to start on Pirelli’s hard compound in the 58-lap Abu Dhabi race, and while he had a slow start to his race, his car came alive in free air at the end of his opening stint despite running on degrading tyres.

When the seven-time world champion switched to the yellow-banded medium tyres, he started to display eye-catching pace which enabled him to go through the field, and ultimately make a fantastic overtaking move on his team-mate George Russell on the final lap.

Assessing Hamilton’s last dance with the German-British outfit, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes that the seven-time world could have fought for the victory had the bollard not led to a disappointing result in qualifying.

“Without the bollard getting in Lewis’s way yesterday in Qualifying, I think he could have fought for victory. He was quick throughout today and made the alternative strategy work well. He drove like a world champion.

“That is befitting of our time together and a real statement. For George, he had a tougher time of it. He hasn’t had the pace in the car this weekend to fight for the podium, but he did well to bring home solid points.

With the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix having brought the 12-year relationship between Mercedes and Hamilton to an emotional end, Wolff claimed that he was relieved that this period ended with a sensational comeback from the back of the grid.

“It has been 12 years that we have spent with Lewis. It is not only the longest driver and team partnership in the sport’s history, but it is also the most successful. A relationship of that length and a journey like that creates a bond, trust, and shared values that are rare nowadays.

“It is a period of time that we will always hold close to our hearts and one that I personally will treasure forever. Despite knowing that whatever happened in our final race today didn’t impact our legacy, we all wanted to end on a high. I am so glad we were able to do so. He will always be a part of our family and, if it isn’t us winning on track, we hope that it is him.

Asked to reflect on the Constructors’ Championship, Wolff hailed McLaren, which uses Mercedes’ power units, for winning their first teams’ title since 1998.

“Congratulations to McLaren on their success in the Constructors’ Championship. They have done a fantastic job this year. They have built a strong team with good engineering, good leadership, and good drivers.

“They are fully deserving of this year’s title. We are pleased for our colleagues at Brixworth too; this is a success also for Mercedes Motorsport and HPP. Whilst we know that the works team is the absolute key priority, it is great to see a customer team do so well.”