Ahead of the Singapore GP Weekend, Max Verstappen took a spicy jab at Toto Wolff and Mercedes for the “Wikipedia” comment. While everyone besmirched the Austrian’s comments, The Sun’s Ben Hunt, speaking in Spotify’s F1: Chequered Flag Podcast, claims Wolff made those comments because he might be under pressure to save his job. Despite being part owner of a $3,900,000,000-worth Mercedes, Wolff seems to be facing the pressure of saving his job, which prompted him to take a dig at Verstappen after the Italian GP.
Mercedes last won the constructor’s championship in 2021, and one of their drivers last won their championship in 2020. The team has failed to win a race since the 2022 Sao Paolo GP and currently finds themselves struggling in the middle of the grid on their weaker days. With Wolff being the team principal, he will be the first in line to be held accountable for the team’s dismal performances.
Toto Wolff under pressure to save his job?
Speaking about the major dip in performance Mercedes has seen in the past two seasons Hunt believes Wolff is under immense pressure to save his job despite being a co-owner of the team. Hunt addressed how when Mercedes was winning everything, Wolff would talk about all their achievements, but the moment Red Bull started winning, he changed his approach entirely.
“I’ve just found it pretty telling that that’s a man perhaps under a little bit of pressure to turn the situation around.”
Hunt’s statements carry a lot of credibility, not only because of his background but also because people close to the Mercedes boss believe he is going through a very tough time.
Nico Rosberg not on board with Wolff’s comments
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Rosberg recently said Wolff might have reached a place where he doesn’t feel happy with what his team is achieving. “I think Toto was just a bit down there, and that made his answer a bit darker and not quite as gracious,” said the former Mercedes driver. Rosberg believes that if Wolff were in a much better place mentally, he would have been way more gracious.
As we head into the final few races of the season, Mercedes and Wolff will be looking to end the campaign on a strong note. With the team currently in P2, they will want to secure the position and end the season as the second-best team on the grid.
Having secured their current driver lineup (Lewis Hamilton and George Russell) for two more years, the Brackley-based team will want to relive their glory days and hope to aid Hamilton in winning his eighth driver’s world championship.
