F1 News
Wolff had to change approach: 'Team in danger of complete collapse'
When Toto Wolff first joined Mercedes' Formula One Team in 2013, the German team were on the rise, with first winning Grands Prix that season, and then in 2014, they were already on top of F1's world, mastering the regulation change. However, once another regulation change happened in 2022, Mercedes were left behind, something that was hard for the Austrian.
From 2014 until the 2021, Mercedes have won the Constructors' championship every season. That changed in 2022, when the current regulations came into effect. "When I joined the team, I led it in a certain way. I was very emotional and relentless. I kept our entire system under constant pressure, I wanted to shake up the organisation and my only goal was to make us a World Championship winning team," Toto Wolff began to explain his first phase as Mercedes team principal to Formula.hu.
In 2022, the German team were no longer contenders, and only won a single race at Interlagos that season. Their car also struggled a lot with bouncing, especially over the course of that season. He added that, as a result, it was a difficult year. "Then came 2022 and the 'incredible emotions', when I was thinking 'we can't be so far behind, we will soon get back on our feet'. Then came the realisation that it wasn't going to happen quickly."
How did Wolff change?
The Austrian CEO and team principal of Mercedes also explained how he himself had to change as a person, because of his new approach. "The whole team was in danger of collapsing under pressure. I changed that. I became more pragmatic, analysed things more deeply and gave people a chance instead of being too brutal and direct. I also understood that impatience does not make the car faster."
After Mercedes went winless in 2023, now in 2024, they have won three Grands Prix. George Russell was victorious in Austria, while Lewis Hamilton earned his 104th and 105th career victory at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, respectively.