In the turbo-hybrid era, Mercedes came in as an unlikely dominant force. Nobody before that expected them, a midtable team to take the entire F1 grid by storm and rule it for the next eight years giving legacy teams like Ferrari and McLaren no chance ahead of them.
Even Red Bull, which had four successful years in F1, couldn’t do anything for the next decade. It showed how impressive the Silver Arrows were in the entirety of their spell at the top.
In 2022, they had a major dip in performance and were practically out of the title challenge. Though, they still can’t be ruled out from the absolute revival, as we are still amidst the same engine regulation era.
Also read: Lewis Hamilton Reveals to George Russell His Most Memorable Fan Experience
Toto Wolff claims no other team can replicate Mercedes’s dominance
For over a decade, Mercedes made F1 boring. Everyone knew at the start of the season Lewis Hamilton would take the title. From 2014 to 2021, only one non-Mercedes driver won a title—Max Verstappen; his team didn’t take the constructors’ title even that year.
Seeing the sheer class of his team, Wolff claims that no other team in F1 will ever go on to replicate the dominance of Mercedes. However, his claim isn’t a question of others’ capabilities but the current way regulations are imposed.
“The landscape has changed,” he told selected media last month. “I don’t think that anybody will run away with eight championships in a row in the future. This is the way the regulations have been designed.
Though, he is happy about these new developments. With regulations like cost caps, there is a likely chance of other teams stepping up. Therefore, an increase in competition only improves the competition.
Is cost cap a farce?
The cost cap regulations were mocked by red Bull in 2021. With a reported breach, they were fined by the FIA $7 million and a colossal wind tunnel penalty. But their drivers’ championship remained unharmed.
Many don’t think it of as something harsh on Red Bull, claiming their rivals, as the wind-tunnel penalty would only save them money. On the other hand, it’s a huge precedent that teams can remain unaffected by spending a couple of million dollars more, which can reshape the competition.
@redbullracing #rb19 aerodynamic development after cost cap breach penalty pic.twitter.com/bKXqaQExzW
— Ariffin K (@AriffinKhalid) January 15, 2023
Business F1 magazine also claims that teams are now maintaining two books to escape the scrutiny of a cost cap. The magazine believes the budget isn’t enough for the F1 teams’ operation. So, overstepping the cap isn’t rare.
Also read: Ferrari Eye Lando Norris As Charles Leclerc Replacement In Case He Joins Mercedes
