In the midst of turbulent times for Mercedes, team principal Toto Wolff remains resolute in his leadership, while backing Lewis Hamilton to achieve his record eighth world championship at Ferrari. The Monaco Grand Prix this weekend is set against a backdrop of significant changes for the team, with Hamilton’s departure and recent struggles weighing heavily.
Mercedes, once the undisputed leader in Formula One, has faced a challenging period, currently sitting a distant fourth in the constructors’ championship. Hamilton, who is preparing for his final races with the Silver Arrows before his move to Ferrari, is currently eighth in the standings, with a mere 35 points compared to championship leader Max Verstappen’s 161.
The team’s unprecedented success, which saw them clinch eight consecutive team titles and guide Hamilton to six of his seven championships, now feels like a distant memory. The fallout from Hamilton’s controversial loss to Verstappen in the 2021 decider has led to increased scrutiny of Wolff’s role and future within the team. Despite this, Wolff, who signed a three-year contract to remain as team principal before the start of the season, remains steadfast in his commitment to Mercedes.
“I have always been very self-critical and introspective,” Wolff told the PA news agency. “Is this what I am good at? Am I working in something that I understand and I feel I can contribute? I ask myself that question all the time, for 30 years, and the decision I have taken is that I am a co-owner of this business and I am going to stay a co-owner of this business, whether I am team principal or CEO or chairman.”
Wolff acknowledges the possibility of stepping down if a more suitable leader emerges, but he has not yet identified such a successor. “That day will come, but jointly (with co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Daimler), we have not identified who the next person will be. I still love it. Maybe one day I wake up and I don’t love it. There might be a stone falling on my head and I am not team principal anymore. But this is the destiny I am choosing with my co-shareholders.”
Reflecting on Mercedes’ recent struggles, Wolff defended the team’s record, noting that other iconic teams like Ferrari and McLaren have also faced long periods without championships. “We have finished first 115 times and we have been knocked down over the last 50 races. That is not where we want to be and it feels horrible on the day. But on the Monday morning, we regroup and we go again.”
“Ferrari haven’t won a constructors’ championship since 2008. Red Bull did not win eight times in a row because we were winning. So we have to look at it with a certain perspective and say it is the third year where we have not won. It is not eight. It is not 16. When did McLaren win their last constructors’ championship? 1998. And their last drivers’ title? With Lewis in 2008. We finished second last year. It is not good enough but if you look at it in 10 or 20 years, you will see that we won eight championships in a row and then we lost three, or maybe four, but not 16.”
Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari at the end of the year marks a significant shift for both the driver and Mercedes. The 39-year-old’s decision, which coincided with the release of Netflix’s latest Drive to Survive series, stunned the sport. Wolff’s earlier comments about not imagining Hamilton in red now carry a poignant irony. “That is what he said to me,” Wolff recalled. “He said he was going to stay and then he decided to go. But people change their minds and circumstances change and you have to respect that. Today’s opinion might be different tomorrow and I have no hard feelings. If Ferrari is able to give Lewis a competitive car, he can win a world championship, there is no doubt about that.”
As Hamilton transitions to Ferrari, Wolff emphasizes that the personal relationship between them will endure, despite the competitive nature of their new roles. “I will always have a personal relationship with Lewis and I will look back at the great times, professionally and personally. When Lewis moves to Ferrari, he becomes a competitor but I will always wish him happy days.”
Looking to the future, Mercedes may give a chance to their protégé, 17-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli, to step up alongside George Russell. However, Wolff remains optimistic about potentially luring Max Verstappen from Red Bull, drawing parallels to McLaren’s recent resurgence as evidence of Mercedes’ potential to become competitive again.
“Max is not going to get in a car that is not competitive and at the moment we are not competitive enough to lure a world champion. But we have to see how the next months go. Look at McLaren. If we can put four tenths on the car, we will be very competitive. I have to wait for the moment. There is no urgency.”
Wolff’s commitment to Mercedes, coupled with his belief in the team’s ability to return to the top, underlines his determination to steer the team through its current challenges. As the Formula One season progresses, the narrative of Mercedes and Hamilton’s journey will continue to captivate fans, with Wolff at the helm, determined to restore Mercedes to its former glory.