It goes without saying that Mercedes has been the most successful team in F1 for the past decade. The Silver Arrows dominated the turbo-hybrid era, winning a staggering eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 2014-2021.
While Mercedes undoubtedly had a strong car and one of the best drivers, Lewis Hamilton, to get the results week in and week out, little has been said about the team’s ethos behind the scenes. In a recent conversation, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff opened up on the reasons behind his team’s outstanding success.
Toto Wolff explains the key to Mercedes’ success
In an interview with the Harvard Business Review after the 2022 season concluded, Toto Wolff gave his take on how he led the Mercedes F1 team during their good and bad days.
The Austrian motorsport executive explained the importance of understanding the team’s performance not only on bad weekends but also on good weekends.
He explained his point by giving the example of a weekend when the team surprised themselves with their great straight-line speed. He asked his team to determine the cause as they had not witnessed “any miracles” with their power unit or chassis.
The 51-year-old said it was equally important for his team to understand why they performed well because he believes, “If you don’t understand what is happening on a good day, you surely won’t understand what is happening on a bad day.”
Also Read: Toto Wolff Is Convinced The Mercedes W14 Can Deliver Lewis Hamilton His 8th Championship Win
Mercedes aims to recover after a poor 2022 season
The change of rules hurt Mercedes significantly, as after winning eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships, they finished third in the 2022 season.
The Silver Arrows scored 515 points and were 39 points behind second-placed Ferrari (554) and a whopping 244 points behind champions Red Bull Racing (759).
Moreover, Red Bull Racing also seem to have the edge over Mercedes going into the new season as they dominated pre-season testing in Bahrain. After Max Verstappen clocked the fastest lap time on the second day, Sergio Perez continued the team’s purple patch by recording the quickest time on the final day.
Hence, although the Milton Keynes outfit will most likely begin the 2023 season as the favourites again, Mercedes will hope that they can recover some of the lost ground.
Also Read: Mercedes F1 Boss Toto Wolff Roasted Over Fiery 50-Second Battle With Christian Horner & Co.
