The idea of leaving F1 has not “crossed the mind” of Toto Wolff
Mercedes is far from being on track this season. While the German team has missed the mark with their W13, their director Toto Wolff assures that he does not plan to abandon ship despite the numerous difficulties encountered.
If someone had told you a few months ago that Mercedes wouldn’t be in the fight for the 2022 championship, you certainly wouldn’t have believed it. However, the German team has (slightly) missed the regulatory revolution and has produced a moody W13, far from the top duo in terms of performance.
Without being catastrophic (third in the constructors’ standings), Mercedes is clearly not in a position to compete for victories on a regular basis. As for the two podium finishes by Hamilton in Bahrain and Russell in Melbourne, they were only made possible by the misfortune of Red Bull and Ferrari drivers. In Bahrain, neither Red Bull driver crossed the finish line, and neither Sainz nor Verstappen saw it in Melbourne.
If the season is still long and development will play a leading role, for now the contrast is striking between the team that overwhelmingly dominated the last decade to win eight consecutive constructors’ titles, and Mercedes 2022 version. The team director Toto Wolff, who is also a 33% shareholder of the team, is going through a difficult period like all Mercedes employees. However, the Austrian assures that despite the difficulties, he never considered leaving.
The problem is that I am dead without what I am doing here. The activity within the team, the development, that’s what I really enjoy. Formula 1 is thriving. In terms of revenue, things are going very well and that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. In this respect, it never crossed my mind to say to myself: this is the end, ” explains Toto Wolff.
Quoted on the rest of the season and the failure of W13, Wolff showed understanding with his teams. « I think you can’t unlearn what you know how to do. But then the track shows us something else. It’s also about always remaining humble, and that’s what we are, and to say, “Damn, we really messed up” and accept it. », Wolff explains.
Under my leadership, we scored a perfect eight out of eight and now, we have really made a mistake, it’s not like we were only three tenths away. Nobody is infallible. We can see that right now. But the team is capable of turning the tide, hopes the Austrian.
