Mercedes barely hung on to P2 in the Constructors’ championship after a valiant effort by Ferrari in the latter half of the 2023 F1 season. They got one better than their campaign in 2022 when they finished P3. However, team principal Toto Wolff feels that jumping to P1 would be a gargantuan task,
Speaking about this, Wolff said, as per GP Blog, “Red Bull started these regulations in 2022 with a massive advantage and was able to maintain it. We have a lot of respect for the achievement of the engineering side and the driver. Beating them under the current regulations is against the odds. That’s clear.”
Red Bull was mighty throughout 2023, taking 21 wins out of 22 races. It is believed that the dominance will continue as the Austrian team is massively ahead in terms of development.
This will directly hinder Mercedes’ push for the top spot, even if they come up with the right concept. Therefore, according to experts, Wolff‘s team needs to focus on their immediate competition instead of just thinking about dethroning Red Bull.
Who can challenge Mercedes and Toto Wolff in 2024?
With Red Bull still being step ahead of Mercedes, the Silver Arrows can see Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin as its potential threats next year. While Ferrari has been in the mix in 2022 and 2023, there are chances that McLaren and Aston Martin wound join the party too.
Zak Brown’s team made a brilliant recovery this season and are ready to bank on that. At one point they were in P10, but finished the year in P4. Even Lawrence Stroll’s team made an impressive way forward.
Furthermore, all these teams have added wind tunnel times because of their position in the current championship standings, which is more than what Mercedes has. This can prove to be a real impetus for them to catch up to the Silver Arrows.
All in all, Toto Wolff and his team need to get the new concept clear and rectify the fundamental mistakes such as drag and tire degradation. By doing so, they can field a car in 2024 that can consistently challenge for race wins.
