Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was sitting at the peak of his powers from 2014 to 2021 in Formula One. It was the time when his team dominated the grid wholly. As a result, the Austrian billionaire became the most successful team principal in F1. And his team won eight consecutive constructor titles and seven driver’s world championships in a row. But everything fell apart in the last two years.
At first, Lewis Hamilton narrowly lost to Max Verstappen in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Then last year, Mercedes managed to win only a single race in the entire year. This year the team is yet to win a single race. On the other hand, nobody is able to challenge team Red Bull. They won 17 races last season and have won seven already this time. In fact, they have won all the races so far this season. Surprisingly, after the Monaco Grand Prix, every team got a chance to evaluate the RB19 car’s unique floor due to the crane lifting their car in Monaco. Although the RB19’s floor was not able to impress the Mercedes boss a lot. But why is that?
Toto Wolff Criticizes Team Red Bull’s Obscure Floor Design
Recently, in an interview, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff criticized team Red Bull’s floor design, one which was highly touted by almost all the teams. As he mentioned, “The Red Bull’s car is fast, but the floor’s design is not a thing of beauty.” Although Mercedes is trying to take inspiration from Red Bull’s floor, the team principal is not sure about the aesthetic capabilities of the floor. Wolff acknowledged that whether or not the floor’s design is complex, the essential thing is that it is fast. Therefore it is good.
Mercedes boss also talked about the RB19’s floor with his team’s engineers. They showed interest in the aerodynamics of the car and mentioned that it is worth spending time to analyze it. However, the engineers felt the floor design of RB19 lacked elegance and functionality. Toto Wolff also discussed the W14 car and the difference from the last year’s car. He explained that the issue with the stability of the car due to bouncing is a thing of the past. After the upgrades in Monaco and the double podium in Spain, the team has found stability in the car.
Mercedes Boss Does Not Support The Idea Of Scripted Races To Beat Red Bull
Despite getting derailed by rival team Red Bull, the Mercedes team principal believes that getting the desired result from the car right away can be a bit precarious. Hence, the team is focusing on one race at a time. They are looking to tackle new challenges during the Canadian Grand Prix. But the Mercedes’ boss is eagerly waiting for the day when his team beats the current leaders again in some race.
Toto Wolff feels F1 is a meritocracy. And the Red Bull team is clearly performing way better than others. Hence, there is no point complaining, but the other teams just need to improve a lot more. Hence, he is firmly against scripted races to increase the popularity of the game. Every fan expects to see competition and new winners. But the dominance of Red Bull at present is giving no scope for a new team to rise up as the leaders.