Mercedes F1 Boss Toto Wolff Concedes Team Lacks Pace to Win 2024 Formula 1 Races
Mercedes AMG F1 Team Principal Toto Wolff has admitted that his team is still short of the pace required to win Formula 1 races in 2024, despite a strong podium finish at the Spanish Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton secured his first rostrum appearance since October last year, finishing third behind Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
The German outfit’s recent improvement in form continued in Barcelona, with George Russell providing a glimpse of hope for a potential win when he took the lead at Turn 1. However, Verstappen quickly regained the top spot using DRS, and Norris later passed both Mercedes drivers with newer tires.
Hamilton eventually overtook his teammate to claim the final podium spot after switching to the softer Soft compound tires during his final pit stop, while Russell was on Hards. Wolff acknowledged that the decision to pit Russell earlier and switch to Hards was a mistake in hindsight.
“When you look where we ended up, obviously George on the Hard was the wrong strategy,” Wolff said. “Clearly that goes on the team. And we had a slow stop that was three seconds.”
Wolff suggested that Russell’s struggles led to Hamilton’s extended middle stint, which ultimately proved beneficial. “I think we were pretty convinced that the hard was the right thing to do,” he added. “And obviously to our disadvantage, we didn’t have any new [Softs] left, which gives you maybe another two laps.”
Hamilton finished over 15 seconds behind Norris, who produced a strong late charge to finish 2.2 seconds behind race-winner Verstappen. Wolff believes the end margin was inflated due to circumstances in the race and is encouraged by the representative gap.
“If you look at where Lewis was, 15 seconds behind the leaders, whilst taking the pace out at the end, so maybe call it 10 seconds, so that’s much closer,” he assessed. “They weren’t holding back, Max and Norris. So there’s a reason to be carefully optimistic that we are much closer and will be able to fight.”
Despite the progress made by Mercedes, Wolff insists the team is still lagging behind Red Bull and McLaren by around three-tenths of a second per lap. When asked about the possibility of a win soon, the Austrian replied, “I think what you’ve seen yesterday and also today, the gap is probably around three-tenths to these two. That’s what’s missing, and if we are able to bridge that, bearing in mind they also put upgrades on the car, then maybe we could be racing for victory.”
Mercedes will aim to close the gap at the upcoming Formula 1 races, with the next stop being the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Wolff acknowledged that the team could have won in Montreal, but ultimately “dropped the ball” due to their own mistakes.
As the Formula 1 calendar unfolds, Mercedes will focus on bridging the gap to the top teams and securing their first win of the 2024 season. With Wolff’s candid assessment, the team’s determination to succeed is clear, and fans can expect an exciting battle for Formula 1 supremacy in the coming races.
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