Former Jordan team boss Eddie Jordan, who once managed seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, has slammed Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff for not taking ‘criticism as a man’. The 74-year-old believes that the Silver Arrows have not been up to the mark this season, and ultimately the responsibility falls on Wolff to deliver.
Mercedes have definitely fallen down the pecking order as after dominating the turbo hybrid era by winning a record eighth consecutive Constructors’ Championships, they have fallen way behind reigning champions Red Bull. Moreover, they currently find themselves in a battle for third place with longtime rivals Ferrari.
And what has made their start to the season even worse is that the Silver Arrows have also fallen behind one of their customer teams: Aston Martin. Aston Martin, a team that uses Mercedes engines, has seemingly produced the second-fastest car in the 2023 season.
‘Take it on the chin’: Jordan slams Toto Wolff’s leadership
While speaking to David Coulthard on the Formula For Success podcast (as quoted by planetf1.com), Eddie Jordan said, “He’s (Totto Wolff) the CEO, he’s the boss. The buck stops with him. This is happening under his watch”.
The 74-year-old believes that it is unfair for Wolff to criticize anyone as he is the side’s leader. While Jordan admits that Wolff can sort out Mercedes’ troubles, he does not believe he is a good leader.
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Jordan then explained how Wolff must address the current concerns by adding, “He must be a man. Stand up and take it on the chin and say, ‘my team, my people, we have failed to get the job successfully done at this moment’.”
Toto Wolff believes Mercedes may not catch Red Bull in 2023
Red Bull seems to have produced by far the fastest car on the 2023 F1 grid as their drivers clinched a 1-2 in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix, while Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabia GP.
As a result of the two wins, Red Bull currently has a whopping 49 points advantage over both Aston Martin and Mercedes (38). Considering the Milton Keynes outfit’s dominance in the early stages, Toto Wolff has conceded that Mercedes may not be able to catch their arch-rivals this season.
In a conversation with motorsport.com, Wolff revealed that it could take the Silver Arrows between six and 12 months to get anywhere close to Red Bull. However, the Austrian team principal made it clear that this was an extremely ambitious goal.
