Toto Wolff has pointed out that Mercedes’ reliability issues originated from a push to match Ferrari’s superior pace in 2019.
Despite having a more powerful engine, Scuderia Ferrari lost both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship to Mercedes in 2019. The Italian team even face some background investigation over the power unit. Although, the team and FIA came to a non-disclosed agreement, with a new power unit for 2020.
The same power unit that has Ferrari lagging behind in the 2021 championship. Currently, Ferrari is battling against McLaren for the third position in the constructors’ championship. Meanwhile, it stands at sixth and seventh position in the drivers’ championship with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
However, Toto Wolff said that the push for performance in 2019 to compete with Ferrari is the catalyst for the present engine problems at Mercedes.
The Brackley-based team has taken enough grid penalties as a result of a power unit that has high degradation, Wolff explained. “I think we were pushed very hard in 2019 and came with a power unit in 2020 that was right there.”
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Toto Wolff wants to go ahead with newfound reliability
Before withdrawing from F1 at the end of the current season, Honda put all of its resources into providing Red Bull with its 2022 power unit a year early. While Mercedes is hoping to carry the performance of its engine over to the next season, along with newfound reliability.
Wolff said, “we are fighting an extremely potent and reliable Honda engine and these guys have put all the resources you can potentially deploy on this last season.”
“It is fair enough and will continue to be the power unit in the next few years, in some way frozen. Therefore, we need to make sure that next year we start with an engine that is as good as it is now. But one that can actually go through the season without enduring engine penalties,” he further added.
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