Failure has not been in Toto Wolff’s Mercedes career dictionary until the last two seasons. The Silver Arrows in 2022 and 2023 managed to win just one race. Now, his arch-rival Christian Horner has come up to reveal how Wolff needs to step up to bring his team back to the top again.
Speaking about this, Horner told the Sky Sports F1 podcast as per SoyMotor, “I think Mercedes has won a race in the last two seasons. And that will hurt and people will start to question things in the organization, heads will fall and, as a leader, you have to motivate them, you have to lift them up.”
“It’s a totally different challenge, from being at the top to fighting to get back there.” said Horner.
Horner and Wolff’s team has seen exactly opposite performances in the last two seasons. At the time when Mercedes failed, Red Bull claimed 38 victories in 44 races. Therefore, it has been a total change of hands on the top of the grid.
Celebrating P2 in the Constructors’ Championship. Bring on 2024! pic.twitter.com/ZRm0pm7B0c
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 26, 2023
However, things at Mercedes are different when it comes to failure. Even teams such as Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams, who were once top teams, are seeing a downward spiral in their performances.
Yet, there was much more pessimism at the Silver Arrows when they dropped the ball two years ago. This is primarily because of the massive dominance they had during the turbo hybrid era.
Therefore, the fans as well as the board have massive expectations for the entire team to deliver as a unit. At a time when the Brackley-based team are struggling to find performance, Horner, on the other hand, opened up on their 2024 development.
Christian Horner unravels Red Bull’s plan for the 2024 F1 season
After having two unprecedented seasons, Christian Horner and Red Bull are getting ready for yet another explosive season in 2024. Given their aggressive development in 2022-23, many expect them to be at an advantage next season as well.
2023 – it’s been a record breaking year
A of some of our special moments… pic.twitter.com/eRyfw1ctXF
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) December 4, 2023
Despite this, Horner and his team will be doing their bit to keep ahead of the pack. On this, the British boss said as per FanNation, “We have to improve and we have to keep evolving. I think all aspects of RB19 are being looked at to evolve into RB20, and hopefully make it even stronger because I’m sure that’s what our competitors will be looking to do.”
As things stand, experts believe that Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez may demolish their opponents yet again. However, Mercedes will do their bit to prevent this, such as improving their reliability and straight-line speed. On the other hand, Toto Wolff’s team is also expected to face immense competition from Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin.
