Fiasco for Wolff & Co.

Alarm at Mercedes: “… then that’s not good!”

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08.04.2024 12:38

Alarm at the "Silver Arrows"! "When I look at the results, it's clearly not good," Team Principal Toto Wolff made clear. And above all, the fiasco of results without a race win since November 2022 is unworthy of the global Mercedes brand.

The reality of Mercedes is that it is now willing to settle for less. Accordingly, it would be a great success if the fallen Formula 1 industry leader at least finished this season as number two behind Red Bull again. "We have to acknowledge that someone is doing a better job than us," said team boss Toto Wolff in Suzuka. Max Verstappen dominated the Japanese Grand Prix - for the "Silver Arrows" he is once again out of reach.

After four of 24 races, Mercedes is also not in the leading position in the battle for the role of first runner-up, a kind of B World Championship in its own right. Fourth place with 34 points in the team standings is a disappointment. Ferrari (120 points) and McLaren (69) are the main rivals of the best racing team of the years 2014 to 2021 behind Red Bull (140). The works team won the constructors' championship eight times in a row, Lewis Hamilton became world driver champion six times and Nico Rosberg once. After that, Red Bull and Verstappen overtook them following a change in the regulations.

"There will be a big restart in 2026, and then there will be a realistic chance for all other teams to beat Red Bull," said Wolff. "But there is still a whole season and three quarters to go before then - and I don't want to just suffer during those months." It is therefore better to find solutions sooner rather than later. Although record world champion Hamilton and George Russell only managed ninth and seventh place in Japan, things are moving in the right direction.

Hamilton puts the onus on the team
"When I look at the results, it's clearly not good," Wolff made clear. And above all, the fiasco of results without a race win since November 2022 is unworthy of the global Mercedes brand. "We are certainly not leaving Suzuka happy, but we are convinced that more will come soon," said the Viennese. Last year's car was a misconstruction, now it's not quite as dramatic. "If we want to move up the field, we have to find more performance," Hamilton said, however, and demanded: "We have to keep working hard."

Lewis Hamilton (Bild: GEPA pictures)
Lewis Hamilton

The 39-year-old is moving to Ferrari ahead of next season, but announced that he wanted to say goodbye with his best possible performance. However, the seven-time champion is not even able to show this at the moment and has to cope with the worst start to a season in his 18-year career. "We have made some progress and that has been positive," emphasized Russell, who will still be in the cockpit of the works team in 2025.

George Russell (Bild: APA/AFP/Giuseppe CACACE)
George Russell

It remains to be seen who will replace Hamilton. Wolff would like to sign Verstappen, but this switch makes no sense for the Dutchman in sporting terms. For one thing, he has a contract with Red Bull valid until 2028 and could probably only leave early with a special clause. In addition, the 26-year-old is unlikely to want to switch from the best car to the car of a struggling midfield team. Other candidates are the Italian talent Kimi Antonelli, the Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso or Ferrari man Carlos Sainz from Spain, who finished third in Japan on Sunday.

Carlos Sainz (Bild: APA/AFP/ANGELA WEISS)
Carlos Sainz

The battle for second place is a bitter reality
"The fight is on. We are fighting for second place, that is our reality, just like last year," said Wolff and gave an insight into the emotional world in his garage: "The expectation is always to take victories and championships. It's not at all satisfying to only fight for second place."

The 52-year-old Austrian was asked whether it would be boring for the fans for the rest of the year. "I think Ferrari can get even closer to Red Bull and we can get even closer to Ferrari," said Wolff, who also holds a third of the shares in the racing team. There could be exciting battles in the midfield in particular, said Wolff. But the fans want to see thrilling battles for the top spot. "We are doing everything we can to put on a better show and challenge them." The aim is to catch up with Ferrari as quickly as possible. "And we will again. That is a much more realistic goal for us than keeping up with Max."

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