Mercedes was a force to reckon with only a couple of years ago. But with the recent regulations change, they have been toppled by Red Bull. And such a drop in performance would surely bring the team morale down. To tackle that mood in Brackley, according to Business F1, Toto Wolff has sanctioned a $100,000,000 redevelopment plan upon knowing ‘how Red Bull does it.’
Since 2022, Mercedes has only secured only one race win. Though they have obtained several podiums in process, it’s far from what they got used to from 2014 to 2021. That’s why it’s understandable that Wolff is desperate to reform every area of his team’s operations.
From the sidepod overhaul to restructuring their headquarters, the Silver Arrows are trying everything to return to the title contention. But it’s interesting to see whether such a hefty expense would benefit the team or not.
The motivational $100,000,000 campus will copy Red Bull’s style
The 14.8-acre establishment by Mercedes will go through an extensive overhaul and could take many years to complete. But the source claims that Wolff has triggered the plans after hearing from his former Red Bull COO Jayne Poole, who now works as a special advisor to Mercedes, that this is how it’s done at Red Bull to keep the employees motivated.
“The new campus design has unashamedly copied Red Bull’s campus concept,” says the Business F1 magazine in their latest June 2023 edition. “Morale at Red Bull is known to be excellent in good times and bad. This was confirmed by Poole when she joined.”
The source further quotes Wolff saying that the new establishment is to provide a great place to work and spend time. According to his own words, he eyes a Silicon Valley-style environment for the daily operations of his team.
Would that trick by Toto Wolff work?
Well, $100 million can do a lot. That amount of money can fulfill any needs of the employees working at Brackley for the foreseeable future. However, at the same time, the buck also stops at the leadership.
While Mercedes is reportedly styling a Red Bull-like campus, the way the leaders of the two teams function is different, as the magazine describes.
Business F1 reveals that Christian Horner spends four times more time at Red Bull’s campus than his counterpart, Wolff, at Mercedes. And that heavily affects the team morale. The stark difference is due to Horner’s proximity to Milton-Keynes, as the Red Bull boss lives in Oxfordshire.
On the other hand, even Wolff has a residence in Oxfordshire, but he prefers to live in the tax-exile state of Monaco. So, that limits his seamless travel to Brackley. And just to boost the team spirit, Wolff can’t be expected to uproot his life from Monaco, which can also cost him millions in taxes.
