Toto Wolff claims Mercedes would be back in winning ways as they have solved their ‘puzzles’ of 2022 and would presume their dominance.
Mercedes, after winning the constructors’ title in 2021, was predicted to continue their winning ways as F1 is still in the turbo-hybrid era. However, their experiments with aero designs fell short and slipped to being the third-best team on the grid.
Something they didn’t intend after winning the title for eight consecutive years. But this year, it was clear that Mercedes won’t be going for the title after the first few races.
Though, what would happen next year? Mercedes are clearly expecting to contest for the title yet again, and having unending resources, they can pull it off.
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Toto Wolff says not the end of the dominance
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff when asked for the 2023 season. He claims that the W13’s concept was a puzzle for them that they couldn’t complete in time. However, he claims to solve it now and considers this season an interruption to their dominance, not the end.
“The puzzle is complete. The reason we didn’t perform as expected this year is that we didn’t put the pieces of the puzzle together. Believe me. This is not the end of our dominance. This is just an interruption,” said Wolff.
Even Lewis Hamilton has pushed for title contention next year and has been of perception to move on from this season quickly. Whether Mercedes can recover from this remains to be seen.
Will Mercedes overspend in 2023?
Seeing their counterparts Red Bull spend around $2 million in 2021, Wolff has been outraged. He expects a harsh penalty from the FIA as he thinks even this amount gives a considerable edge, even if it’s in a minor breach.
The Austrian even argued that spending extra on development precedes advantage in the following years. So, according to Wolff, Red Bull has gained an advantage not only for 2021 but also for 2022 and 2023. Thus a penalty must encompass all these years.
Thus, Wolff claims that if Red Bull is not given a deserving penalty, a precedent would be set, and he claims that even his side will overspend. McLaren boss Zak Brown shares this thought of the Milton-Keynes-based team getting a harsh punishment.
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