Despite all their struggles, Mercedes managed to end their season on a high as they finished P2 in the Constructors’ Championship by the smallest of margins. However, following the season finale, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff claimed on the F1 Nation Podcast that they still have quite a lot of work left because their main aim is to catch up with Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
After the Abu Dhabi GP, Tom Clarkson asked Wolff about his thoughts regarding Mercedes’ achievement of claiming P2. Wolff immediately showcased his relentless spirit and made it clear that finishing second just reminds his side that they failed to win.
Toto Wolff’s message to Mercedes fans:
“To all of you guys out there at home, keep believing in us, keep pushing. We’ve got to reach for the stars, and that’s going to happen I promise!”
❤️❤️❤️
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) November 26, 2023
Damon Hill then asked him if the second place brought him any kind of satisfaction or not. Wolff explained that it does bring him and the team quite a bit of satisfaction. Finishing P2 means that the team achieved their goal for the final race weekend and that is definitely a positive point for their entire side.
However, Wolff also claimed that this is just a short-term emotional boost for the team, as their main aim still remains unfulfilled. Wolff said, “P2 sounds good, but there’s another team and another guy that won 19 races.”
The 51-year-old then made it absolutely clear that the main aim for Mercedes right now is to get on the same level as that of Red Bull and they won’t rest until they achieve that goal.
Toto Wolff claims that the disappointing W14 is an important car
Toto Wolff has been very upfront with the fact that Mercedes have failed to live up to their expectations in 2023. He acknowledged the fact that the W14 turned out to be even worse than last year’s car. However, the Austrian yet wants to use this as a learning tool instead of trying to forget about the disappointing season.
Talking to Sky Germany after the race, as reported by GP Fans, Wolff said, “My first reaction is always that I want to push the car into a corner somewhere, but these two cars are important.” He explained further, ” These cars are important in a way that you remember how quickly you can get it wrong.”
The fight for P2 in the constructors’ went right down to the wire in Abu Dhabi ⚔️
Mercedes eventually came out on top, finishing three points ahead of Ferrari, and Toto Wolff was full of praise for both teams. pic.twitter.com/RvxcUdjwN1
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) November 26, 2023
Wolff explained that the 2022 challenger is important for them because the car was supposed to be really fast as per the simulations. However, reality turned out to be completely different. Wolff still claims that despite the shortcomings, the W13 was important to understand for their long-term development plans.
He then concluded by stating that Mercedes has always been able to finish in the top three places in the last ten years, and that might seem like a good statistic a few years down the line. However, for Wolff, nothing less than winning will satisfy him.
