Principal Toto Wolff played a big role in transforming Mercedes into a powerhouse. Everything started to change in 2013 when the Austrian billionaire executive joined the Silver Arrows along with Lewis Hamilton. Since then, an epic collaboration between a team principal and a star racer took the sport by storm. From 2014 to 2021, there was no stopping the German team. They won every constructor title in the turbo-hybrid era. Moreover, the great British racer went on to win six Driver’s World Championships during that period. Often, that period is referred to as “The Mercedes Era.” That’s how dominant the Silver Arrows has been, thanks to the Wolff-Hamilton collaboration.
However, in 2022, Mercedes hit rock bottom from their dominance of eight straight years. Suddenly, Ferrari and Red Bull were faster and had stronger packages than them. Anyway, in 2022, the Brackley team managed to win one race that came in the Brazilian Grand Prix. But 2023 saw Mercedes end a winless season for the first time since 2011. On top of that, Hamilton shocked the team and the fans as he announced his move to Ferrari in 2025 ahead of the 2024 season. Later, the former constructor champions started poorly in 2024. This year, Mercedes’s first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been hugely disappointing. But how does Toto Wolff maintain his calm in this crisis situation?
Toto Wolff Says His “New Mindset” Is His Key To Stay Calm
Recently, Toto Wolff told Autosport that he has changed his mindset. He does not like to take added pressure because that does not make things better for the team. Clearly, the German team has been facing a problem with physics. The boss knows that well. But the Mercedes team principal also pointed out that it is not because of any lack of trying, motivation, energy, and mindset. Toto Wolff said he can see the buzz in the whole team.
Then, they have the mindset and motivation to improve. Moreover, Wolff understands the racers and the team feel down when they have such disappointing results. Every week, the boss feels the team is trying to change that with the right motivation. That’s exactly why Mercedes still believes they can turn things around. Moreover, Toto Wolff said, “I’m 100% sure that our organization can dig ourselves out.” Also, the team principal pointed out the big differences from last year.
What Are The Improvements From Last Year?
Albeit, it looks pretty much the same or might be even worse from the on-track performances, the car is not the same as before. Moreover, Toto Wolff said that the team’s understanding of the car has improved. The Mercedes boss mentioned, “Last season, we had so many unknowns.” Moreover, Toto feels they have fixed the issues they thought “Could be a reason.” On top of that, the sensor says Mercedes has what they need.
But the car behaves in a certain way in different speed ranges. Even the sensor says they should have downforce, but Toto says they do not have it. Moreover, the Mercedes boss denies that they are being overconfident. Instead, he says that they always see the glass half empty. They are sticking with that attitude. But Toto feels that is also “the attitude to fix it.”
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