Wolff makes bold Hamilton victory claim after Mercedes finale

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has claimed Lewis Hamilton could have won his final race for the team if not for his unfortunate incident with a bollard on Saturday during qualifying.

Hamilton had his final lap in Q1 ruined when he picked up a bollard that was spewed onto the race track by Kevin Magnussen.

It meant the seven-time world champion was forced to line up towards the back of the grid for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his last in Mercedes ahead of his switch to Ferrari next year.

However, he showcased strong pace throughout and rose to fourth place at the chequered flag, completing an eye-opening overtake on team-mate George Russell on the final lap.

Wolff expressed confidence Hamilton would have been in the mix for the win if he had not come to blows with the bollard.

“I always try to be analytical, and if the bollard wasn’t in our way yesterday, I think that Lewis could have fought for the victory,” Wolff told media including RacingNews365.

“I’m continuing that thought.”

Hamilton has not endured a strong run of form of late at Mercedes – but amid the recent hardship, Wolff highlighted the team can look back on its historic partnership with pride.

“But then on the other side, it’s something he [Hamilton] said to me,” Wolf added.

“We’ve had so many wins and so much success that these last few races, they don’t change anything of how we feel about it.

“He drove like a world champion today. From P16, making it slowly through the cars, playing the long game and then finishing fourth, driving away from the Red Bull [of Max Verstappen].

“That was a statement of a world champion.”