Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been talking about progress being made at their Brackley factory ever since their woeful 2024 campaign got underway. But, with a promising display of pace this weekend in Imola, the 52-year-old is more optimistic than ever.
According to Wolff, the gap between themselves and the top three teams (Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren) isn’t as big as it once was. “If you look at the gap forward and our closest competitors, you will see progress,” he said as quoted by RacingNews365.
At the same time, Wolff admits that they have work to do. George Russell finished P6 and Lewis Hamilton finished P8 in Qualifying ahead of the Emilia-Romagna GP on Sunday. And while that is not bad, considering Mercedes’ current position, Wolff says that it is “not the positions we want to be in.”
Just one millisecond off Sainz with that final Q3 lap pic.twitter.com/wk9MuI57Ml
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 18, 2024
A dominant team a little over three years ago, Mercedes’ fall from grace has been hard for Wolff to witness. He keeps trying his best to lead the team out of the slump. But problems keep arising, despite their best efforts to put a permanent end to them.
Nonetheless, the Austrian boss feels that Mercedes is headed in the right direction.
Toto Wolff still believes in Mercedes
Being one of the co-owners of Mercedes’ F1 team, the team’s success or failure directly impacts him. However, he insists that his belief in the team’s ability to be successful again is not shaken.
Yes, Mercedes can only compete for points at the moment. But, Wolff sees it as a good sign. Instead of looking back at the miserable three years the Brackley-based outfit has endured, Wolff is optimistic about the future.
Fine margins out there in Qualifying. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/rH8JHusFtc
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 18, 2024
At the same time, he has to prepare for the 2025 season (and beyond) without Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time World Champion, who doesn’t see the German stable recovering anytime soon will jump ship to Maranello, a team currently ahead of them in the standings.
George Russell, naturally, will assume the role of team leader. And Wolff, for one, is very happy with the 26-year-old becoming his team’s new number-one driver.
