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Toto Wolff claims Mercedes have a 'championship-winning car' after Barcelona revival
Toto Wolff declared his team looked like they had a 'championship-winning car' in Barcelona after Lewis Hamilton's remarkable drive following opening-lap catastrophe.A collision with Haas driver Kevin Magnusson saw Hamilton forced into an early pit change and at the back of the grid, with the seven-time world champion even suggesting that he should retire from the race in order to save the engine - but his team disagreed and said a points finish was achievable.That proved to be correct, with Hamilton finishing fifth in a race that was full of drama and, while he was once again behind teammate George Russell, who secured a second podium finish of the season, it was a significant improvement to previous races.So much so, in fact, that Wolff believes Hamilton's drive in Barcelona was reminiscent of some of his best during his title-winning campaigns and feels that Mercedes now have a car that is able to compete with the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari.“The dynamic between the driver and team is something that is so important that it’s clear. Having an accident at the early stage of the race and you’re saying to yourself, ‘not again’ and you’re not featuring because I think he was 38 seconds or so behind the last cars after his stop and that’s basically game over," he said after the race.“But then him going and then showing this very good pace was important, not only for his morale, but also our morale.
