“We cannot rule out Red Bull Racing or Aston Martin”- Toto Wolff on future challenges to Mercedes

“We cannot rule out Red Bull Racing or Aston Martin”- Toto Wolff wary of its rivals, with mega regulations stepping in, Mercedes under threat.

Mercedes has enjoyed a dominance like no other team in Formula 1 has ever seen before; seven titles in a row is an exhibit of their exceptional engineering.

However, with every major amendment, there is a new shift in F1, and Mercedes are beware of this new situation. In the recent past, Toto Wolff’s leadership has managed to surpass all the obstacles, and it is expected that he might find a solution if the same team of engineers remain.

In an interview with Speedweek, Wolff says there are dangers behind the team’s dominance from Red Bull and Aston Martin. “Motivating is one of the most difficult aspects.”

“It is very dangerous to have the attitude that you are the winner. You have to counteract this. You have to motivate yourself again, set goals that everyone understands and sees as a new motivation for themselves,” says Wolff.

The DAS system which Mercedes introduced last year cannot be continued from 2021, and that is why the reigning champions have to make significant reform in the flooring, which has been decisive to them.

“The change to the underfloor, from which a part is cut, is decisive in the technique. This has forced a rethink of the whole concept. Therefore, we cannot rule out Red Bull Racing or Aston Martin coming up with a better solution,” Wolff said.

The same fear shared by the chief engineer.

James Allison, who leads the engineering department of Mercedes, has also opined similarly and thinks that maybe this is the last year of Mercedes’ dominance.

Moreover, the budget caps also give a level field to all the teams on the grid. Therefore, it would be interesting to see F1 evolve amidst the new regulations.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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