“Now It’s Pretty Clear”: Toto Wolff Avoids Last Year’s Mistake by Shedding the Misconception Mercedes Got at Interlagos

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has made it clear that his side will not repeat last year’s mistake again. His remarks come after their zero-side pod concept from last season did not deliver the desired results this year.

The Silver Arrows had adopted a zero-side pod concept at the start of this season after the same helped them register an emphatic victory at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix last season. However, within a few weeks of the 2023 season, Wolff and the rest of the Mercedes team realized that they had chosen the wrong path.

As a result, Wolff has now said (as quoted by speedcafe.com), “Now it’s pretty clear. This feels horrible for the whole team, and I wish we could start the new season and concentrate on the new car. What we know is that we’re changing the car completely“.

While Wolff and Mercedes do have a better understanding of where they got the W14 wrong this season, the Austrian still does not understand why the car is so unpredictable this year. The 51-year-old‘s remarks come after Mercedes had a torrid race weekend in Brazil. The team only scored four points, with Lewis Hamilton finishing P8 despite starting the race in fifth.

Toto Wolff described Mercedes’ performance in Sao Paulo as “baffling“

Since Lewis Hamilton had finished on the podium twice before the race in Sao Paulo, Toto Wolff believes Mercedes’ performance in Sao Paulo was “baffling.” The Austrian explained, “From a really quick car, really well balanced, with our drivers happy, to a nightmare. How is that even possible? What is it that’s not right“?

Since Wolff is so confused about Mercedes’ subpar performance in Sao Paulo, he added that he would not be surprised if the team discovers a “mechanical issue” while analyzing the cars. Moreover, it is pertinent to note that it was not just Wolff who raised serious concerns with Mercedes’ performance in Sao Paulo but also the drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

As quoted by formula1.com, Hamilton referred to Mercedes’ weekend in Sao Paulo as “one to forget,” while Russell referred to the same as the “slowest weekend” this season. Hence, since the Silver Arrows have been so inconsistent compared to the mighty Red Bull this year, they could also start the 2024 campaign on the back foot.