Mercedes has been going downhill since 2022. It is hard to imagine that this was the same team that used to dominate the grid from 2014 to 2021. For eight years in a row, no other team managed to win a single title. The Silver Arrows enjoyed hegemony on both the Driver’s World Championship as well as the constructor title. Lewis Hamilton was the most dominant racer of the turbo-hybrid era. Moreover, the great Briton went on to win six Driver’s World titles. Previously, he had won his maiden title with McLaren back in 2008. However, Hamilton could not win his coveted eighth title in the 2021 season.
That season, Mercedes had won their eighth constructor title in a row. Hamilton was on his way to win his fifth title in a row. But then, under controversial and dramatic circumstances, Max Verstappen happened to beat Hamilton in Abu Dhabi in 2021. That marked the shift in F1 hegemony. Since 2022, Red Bull has won 43 races so far. Meanwhile, the German outfit managed to win just one race in the 2022 Brazilian GP. Since last year, they have been winless. In fact, 2024 saw Mercedes go through the worst start in recent times. Lately, they have accepted the fact that there is no solution to their current predicament.
Mercedes Accepts There Is No Magic Bullet-Like Solution
Recently, in an interview with Motorsport.com, Toto Wolff told Jonathan Noble that at present, the team is finding the incremental gains that they have been bringing. That’s what Mercedes is seeing in the W15 car right now. There has been no miracle update, added the team principal of the Silver Arrows. Nevertheless, these incremental gains are getting the car in a better balance window. Moreover, Toto Wolff explained that owing to these gains, the car is enjoying more performance. These things generally help the team gain “A tenth or a tenth and a half.” But Toto is also aware that while they are going through this confusing phase, other teams are making quite some progress.
Anyhow, the Mercedes boss believes they are on a trajectory where the team is able to make the car better. Adding to that, he said, “As long as we move in the right direction, I get more confidence in the car.” Most importantly, Toto Wolff agrees that it was a mistake on their part to think that there is a magic bullet-like solution. He added that they never had such clear indication as to know how fast the car was going in the higher-speed or lower-speed. But in the last few races, they could at least “Dial out gradually, but both never happened together.” The bright side of the current situation for Mercedes is that they have a clear direction, finally, where they would like to head in.
Toto Wolff Says, “I’m Angry”
Moreover, the Mercedes boss told Motorsport.com’s Jonathan Noble that it is essential to spot the fundamental thing. Toto Wolff believes they should have spotted that thing way sooner. But they have been seeing some “False Dawns” and have been doing all those “Zig-zagging” over the previous few seasons. But after spotting the fundamental thing, Wolff feels more confident right now.
However, he believes they should take nothing for granted in this sport. Clearly, it is not good enough for the former champions to be where they are right now. Wolff said, “You can hear anger in my voice.” It is because as a team, Wolff thinks, they must do a far better job.
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.
