Hans-Joachim Stuck recently opened up about Toto Wolff’s situation amid the Constructors’ championship battle between Mercedes and Ferrari. The former F1 driver thinks that the Mercedes boss is finding it tough to sleep as his championship rivals are in the same boat. He also believes that the involvement of money makes the situation more critical for Wolff.
Speaking about this as per F1 Maximal, Stuck stated on Wolff, “If you know Toto Wolff well, you know that he certainly doesn’t sleep well because he simply has to perform. That’s not just because he represents Mercedes. He is also a shareholder, so it is also about his own money.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the team “understand our mistakes” that led to their performance in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix 👇 pic.twitter.com/2PEGBBIVmy
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 14, 2023
Admittedly, the Austrian boss owns one-third of Mercedes’ F1 team. Therefore, for any profit or loss his team makes, Toto Wolff has a direct connection with it and has taken a cut in income despite a formidable profit percentage. Along with this, Stuck also revealed that Mercedes and Ferrari being in the same boat is a cause of concern for him.
“Ferrari and Mercedes are in the same boat. Being second and third is not good enough, Mercedes must win again,” the German former driver also added. The Silver Arrows are in a mega slump following the 2021 F1 season, while the Prancing Horse have been winless since 2008.
How does Mercedes fare against Ferrari coming into 2023?
This is the second successive season when Mercedes are in direct conflict with Ferrari for P2 in the Constructors’ championship. It is a continuation of the 2022 F1 season when the Italian team had the upper hand because of their mega start to their season.
After the first few races, the Maranello-based team lost their mojo and got overtaken by Red Bull. They have been trying their best to make a comeback ever since. Unfortunately, they took a step back, and dropped down in the standings.
Nemělo by zapadnout… 🙂 Mercedes vs. Ferrari. #LasVegasGP #F1 #Sport2 pic.twitter.com/kvvoE0psUp
— Tomáš Richtr (@TomRichtrF1) November 14, 2023
Red Bull ended Mercedes’ streak of eight back-to-back constructors’ championship wins when they sealed the win last year. From there on, Wolff’s team has been trying to topple Christian Horner’s team in the championship.
As things stand, the Silver Arrows have a 20-point cushion over the Prancing Horse. If Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz might pull off stunners by learning from McLaren, the prestigious place might end up with Fred Vasseur’s team who are in dire need of it. However, Hans-Joachim Stuck thinks both Ferrari and Mercedes need to win to keep their legacy intact.
