In an unexpected turn of events, Toto Wolff has praised Red Bull! The Mercedes team boss seemed to be so impressed with the Austrian challengers, that he compared them with post-hybrid era Mercedes. Mercedes from 2014 to 2016 was one of the most dominant race teams in the history of F1.
As per RaceFans, Wolff shared that Red Bull is as dominant as they were at the beginning of the hybrid era. He said after the Austrian team pulled on yet another 1-2 in 2023, “I think we’ve had those years where we were as strong.”
1-2 BULLS ON THE PODIUM. MASSIVE NIGHT FOR THE TEAM.
👉 VAMOS. @SChecoPerez‘s 5th Grand Prix Victory tonight!
👉 CRAZY comeback for @Max33Verstappen starting in P15.#F1 #RedBullRacing #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/ehkh5TLwU5
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 19, 2023
Mercedes was almost unbeatable in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Quite similar to Red Bull in 2022 and the first two races of 2023. During those three years, they won 51 races out of 59 total races.
The Austrian executive then went on to appreciate the team engineers from the Milton-Keynes-based team. He said that the Austrian team did a good job over the years and hence is enjoying the success.
Wolff hears old Mercedes jingles with Red Bull dominance
The Silver Arrows boss stated that he hears voices similar to what he did during Mercedes’s domination. During the 2014 to 2020 F1 season, the team from Brackley picked up all possible silverware.
He sees the same from his rival Red Bull in the upcoming years. As the team from Milton Keynes picked up 19 wins out of a total of 24 races in 2022 and 2023, things look very similar. Furthermore, star driver Lewis Hamilton also believes in the superiority of RB-19.
The 51-year-old also stated that the specialty of this sport is one needs to work hard to have success. As a matter of fact, when someone does the hard work, they deserve to enjoy success; he thinks.
Silver Arrows boss promised changes in Brackley
Despite Red Bull’s dominance in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Mercedes honcho was happy. However, it was not because his rivals took 1-2. It was because Mercedes managed to set the course in the right direction.
Wolff, admitted to the fact that Red Bull is out of reach as of now, he opened up on the positive side of the team. Even though it’s going to be hard to catch the Bulls now, he was content that the team is headed in the right direction.
As seen in Jeddah, the Silver Arrows are a match for Ferrari and Aston Martin. It is believed, in 2023, the Brackley-based team will primarily look to improve the W14 and work on improving to reach P2 in the constructors’ championship.
