Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff called McLaren’s dominance at the Dutch Grand Prix “humiliation” for the rest of the field.
During the latter half of the race, McLaren put on a fresh pair of hard tires after the safety car, as the team lacked a fresher pair of softer tires, either the soft or medium.
The rest of the field mainly boasted soft tires, but still, even Red Bull’s Max Verstappen could not catch either McLaren car.
Mercedes did not make any ground either, with driver George Russell ending up behind Isack Hadjar for the entire race.
Wolff made it clear that the German manufacturer’s performance was underwhelming, and he felt disappointed with the gap to McLaren.
“We find ourselves in a difficult situation. How can you be satisfied with the fourth place and maybe a sixth place if there was no penalty awarded?” the German said.
“That’s really not great. And I think this weekend between Max, the Ferraris and ourselves, it’s a little bit balanced at the moment. Max was the quickest, but Ferrari was just the same.
“So that’s not satisfying, considering at the end the McLaren on the hard tyre versus all of us on the new soft. This is a humiliation for everyone.”
While Wolff thought McLaren’s pace was damming of the entire grid, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur disagreed.
“Not completely. It’s not only the last stint,” the Ferrari leader said.
“In the middle of the second stint, when they decided to push, they were miles away. Clearly, they are a step ahead in quali, but much more than this in the race. Humiliation, I won’t go so far with.”
McLaren’s MCL39 is the cream of the crop this year, dominating at most tracks and remaining the fastest at all of them.
At some races, the car was matched by others due to specific limitations, but overall, it is the most well-rounded car.
Considering that the 2026 regulations will be key to finalizing, most teams have shifted their focus to the following season, meaning McLaren’s advantage should remain for the remainder of the campaign.
Dutch Grand Prix Results
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Alex Albon – Williams
- Oliver Bearman – Haas
- Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
- Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
- Yuki Tsunoda – Red Bull
- Esteban Ocon – Haas
- Franco Colapinto – Alpine
- Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls
- Carlos Sainz – Williams
- Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber
- Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber
- Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
- Pierre Gasly – Alpine
DNF Lando Norris – McLaren
DNF Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
DNF Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
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