© Sebastian Kawka for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Mercedes released a Q&A session with Toto Wolff! Mercedes’ team boss answers questions about the new car, the 2024 season, and more!
What are your general thoughts heading into the new season?
I am excited that we’re about to go racing again and, of course, curious and excited to see how the car will perform. I think we will get an early indication of whether we have solved some of the inherent problems that we had on the chassis side last year. We have a mountain to climb to get to the front of the field, but we are focused on doing so.
What does progress look like in the early part of the season?
Formula One is a constant relative competition against the other teams. You can have a great car, but if you’re running around in circles alone, you will never know if it’s the best. We were in a tough fight last season with Ferrari and McLaren, at times Aston Martin, with a big gap between Red Bull and the rest. I would hope we are in the chasing pack at the beginning of the season and hopefully a step closer to Red Bull.
How would you characterise the progress during the off-season? How has development gone here at the factory?
Development has gone well relative to the ambitious objectives we have set ourselves. Sometimes you will come up just short on these, and sometimes you will do better than you thought. But there are many things that we put high on the priority list to make the car more drivable, be that ride or stability. We’ll only know what we’ve achieved once we get on track.
How much is the team relishing the challenge of closing down one of the most dominant cars in the sport’s history?
On one hand, you need to be realistic about the odds of beating a team that is a fair chunk ahead under these regulations, and who got things right over the last two seasons whilst we have not. There are no miracles in the sport. On the other hand, our ambition is strong. It is Red Bull and a very successful car that are the benchmark we are aiming to beat. I do not know when that will happen, we do not have any crystal ball. But we will know soon enough how far ahead they are and the task in front of us.
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
How much has the team grown as a result of the previous two seasons?
As the saying goes: when it stings, it sticks. I believe the previous two years were necessary for us to readjust, recalibrate, and reinvent ourselves in certain areas.
No sports team that has won every single championship they participated in. That is just a fact. I think we pushed the needle very far, but we also knew that there would be a time when things would become more challenging. And this is what happened in 2022 and 2023. But it also means that you are obliged to change without throwing away all the goodness already in the team. You want to keep the good parts and work on the things that you need to develop.
That root-and-branch approach is never easy. But we’ve made progress and look forward to taking the next step with the W15. It won’t be a linear path, but when we stumble, we will get back up and keep on climbing.
We recently announced James Allison is staying as Technical Director. How positive a sign is commitment like that for ensuring that this process continues to go well?
James is a great leader. He has been in the past and will be in the future. By re-signing him for a very long period, we have guaranteed stability at the very top of the tree. But there are many other very valuable leaders that have committed for the mid-to long term and others will join too. I think we have tried to really understand what organization we want to have in the future and I’m happy that we were able to do it without compromise.
You also recently signed a contract extension to remain as CEO and Team Principal. How do you feel going into the next three years where we have a big regulation change as well?
I am going to always be part of this team as a shareholder but I felt that I am able to make my best contribution as Team Principal and CEO. Last year allowed me to reflect on the areas that I can improve and that was important to give me perspective for the years to come. We have clarity at the top levels of the organisation and that stability will provide the team with confidence.
How would you describe the approach that’s been taken to the design of this year’s car?
We clearly embarked on some less successful development avenues in the last two years. But in Formula One, it is never a silver bullet innovation that changes your odds dramatically, it is about getting all the small things right. This is what we have tried to incorporate into W15 over the winter.
There was also news on the driver front before the start of the season. What are your thoughts on that?
We knew our partnership with Lewis would come to an end one day. We thought maybe at the end of 2025, so the timing came as a surprise, but I respect the decision he was faced with and the one he made. Nothing has changed for us this year, our focus remains the same. We have two excellent drivers. In George, we have a quick, talented, and intelligent driver behind the wheel. A strong foundation for the future. In Lewis, we have a motivated multiple world champion, and we want to make his final year with us as successful as we can. Both drivers have gone through the same learnings and important lessons as the team in the past years. They both know what they need to do and that is really positive for us. It is also an exciting opportunity for the years ahead now. We have the chance to set the future direction and stability of our driver line-up heading into the next era of F1. That will be critical in the team’s continued journey to the front, and we will take our time to get it right.
Commercially, the team has refined its partner ecosystem and added a number of blue-chip brands in recent months. How pleasing is this?
Our commercial strategy has evolved over recent years. We have always been focused on building long-term relationships with partners that share our values and where we can deliver a clear return on investment. We have now made the conscious decision to refine our partner ecosystem. We want to concentrate on a smaller, select group of partners, to better serve and deliver on their return on investment. We pride ourselves on trying to be the very best in every single area, and we believe this approach is the way we can achieve this with our partners. We are in a very fortunate position with our partner family. We believe in giving it our all, being transparent and loyal, and I am proud to have a group of partners that share those same values. The recent additions to our partner ecosystem reflect that and we are looking forward to the year ahead together.
Any final thoughts ahead of 2024?
Formula One and professional sports are about constant development and that comes with setbacks. But it is important to remind ourselves that what we want to achieve is to look back in 10 or 20 years and say that this was a period of success even though we had our setbacks. For me it is about: when you fall, you get back up. And that is what I have learned most in the last three years: it’s about the ability to recognize the learning when we fail to meet our objectives and this is the key to long-term success. We hate losing, and that drives us. But that does not mean that we can’t enjoy the challenge we have in front of us, working through our problems and what we need to do as a team. That is all part of the development.
Source: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
