Toto Wolff: “We will not give up”
With the arrival of McLaren at the forefront, Mercedes finds itself disturbed in its race at the front of the grid. Should they sacrifice everything for 2024 or give it their all until the end of the season? Toto Wolff has answered this question and he wants to fight.
By abandoning its “zero pontoon” concept, Mercedes had gained in performance and definitely made the right decision regarding its development approach. The team had caught up to Ferrari and Aston Martin, even surpassing its competitors. But since Silverstone, the hierarchy has once again changed, and a new team has entered the fray: McLaren.
With a total of 58 points in the last two races, compared to 45 for Mercedes, it is the Woking team that appears to be in great shape. Mercedes believed they had done the hard work by clearly outperforming Aston Martin and Ferrari, but now they are facing McLaren. The British team now poses a major threat to Mercedes, as even though they are far behind in terms of championship points, they are competitive on all types of circuits.
Development plans for 2023 and 2024
“I wouldn’t want to give up a season,” said Toto Wolff regarding the importance of continuing to fight in 2023 and not putting all the focus on 2024. Furthermore, the Austrian team principal of Mercedes explained that there will be a lot of changes to make on the car in 2024.”
« You can see how McLaren has outperformed everyone with an update they didn’t expect to be so powerful. Anyway, they probably gained a second and exceeded Aston Martin and Ferrari, establishing themselves as really strong contenders at the beginning of the season, he continued.
Continue to work
However, Mercedes has a significant lead in the constructors’ championship and McLaren’s return to the top of the standings is not guaranteed. They will first have to surpass Ferrari and Aston Martin before catching up with Mercedes. Toto Wolff’s team has plenty of time to see how things unfold. « “We just need to keep working, increase our understanding, and unleash our potential in the car, as Aston Martin did during the winter or McLaren did during the season. We won’t give up,” assured Toto Wolff.
The boss of Mercedes concluded with interesting words and, above all, is open to any proposals within Mercedes concerning development concepts. « The direction that our team is currently developing is really interesting and we see possibilities, and we are not shying away from letting everything fall, considering each concept. »
No sacrifices for 2024, Mercedes will continue to fight. After Lewis Hamilton’s pole position in Hungary last weekend, the team will seek their first victory to put an end to Red Bull’s dominance and, most importantly, Max Verstappen’s.
