Mercedes is living in times they never thought would hit them after having dominated F1 for early 10 years. The eight-time constructors champions are playing in the mid-field with absolutely no hopes of chasing down the Red Bulls in the near future, at least for this season.
Moreover, the recently concluded Australian Grand Prix slapped Mercedes with a hard-hitting reality check. Neither Lewis Hamilton nor George Russel could see the checkered flag due to an unfortunate DNF. Amid never-ending woes, team principal Toto Wolff was asked to weigh the idea of hiring a design guru to fix W15’s woes.
Toto Wolff Calls For Self-Introspection Amid Mercedes’ Plummeting Performance!
In the high-stakes world of Formula 1, every detail matters, including the design and aerodynamics of the car. And Mercedes botched both things with its brand-new season challenger, W15. Despite having ditched the ill-fated zeropod concept, the W15 hasn’t produced any indifferent results so far this F1 season. Moreover, in Australia, the Silver Arrows went home without any points due to a double DNF. After Lewis Hamilton retired with engine failure, George Russell, in a fit to overtake Fernando Alonso and fetch more points, crashed on the final lap of the race. Needless to say, the man taking all the heat amid a dire run is none other than billionaire team principal Toto Wolff.
In post race interview, Wolff was asked if he would be open to the idea of hiring a design guru like Adrian Newey. However, Toto Wolff refused the idea and said Mercedes had enough capable people in the garage to make decisions. The team principal affirmed how F1 does not solely rely on data. It’s the humans who make the ultimate decisions. Not only that, Wolff called for self-introspection and urged every individual to seek answers to these challenges and find ways to push through. Wolff further confirmed that he is not dwelling on the past and asking for sympathy. He is constantly working behind the scenes to figure out solutions to his gigantic problems. That being said, it would be interesting to see how Silver Arrows fix a fundamentally weak car. The instability of the rear on high-speed corners and lack of pace on straights needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
Toto Wolff Eyes Carlos Sainz After Australian GP Win
Carlos Sainz broke Red Bull’s win record this season to secure an enthralling win at the Australian GP. The Ferrari driver, still nursing an appendix surgery, drove like a championship to see the checkered flag first. However, despite everything, Sainz remains without a seat for 2025 as Ferrari joined hands with Lewis Hamilton.
Regardless, after seeing his performance in Melbourne, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is keen on hiring Carlo Sainz for the 2025 season. It could be a perfect swap, as Sainz has the tools to succeed Lewis at Mercedes. But with Audi taking over Stake in 2026, Sainz is tempted to take that offer and build his own legacy in the sport of F1.
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