Mercedes seems to be in an irredeemable position till the fresh F1 2026 regulations reset kicks in. Their 7-time champion, Lewis Hamilton, has left and rivals Ferrari and McLaren have surpassed them in developments. Their post-race statements at each race weekend sound similar and desolate. Yet, not many people have questioned Team Principal Toto Wolff’s responsibilities.

After Mercedes’ double DNF at the 2024 Australian GP, Wolff admitted that it is “fair” to question his role as team boss. But because of his vested interest, a 33% ownership of the Silver Arrows, he has been resiliently pushing the team toward better times. His technical leadership, however, has still been letting him down. The W15 still has no considerable upgrades and lacks pace.

Despite this dire situation, the Austrian TP showed no interest in signing Adrian Newey, who left Red Bull in a huff. Former Ferrari manager Peter Windsor believes this has been Wolff’s biggest mistake. “If I was Toto Wolff, I’d be thinking, ‘I owe it to my guys to have got Adrian Newey on board and we don’t have him. It doesn’t look as if we are gonna get him’. And that is a big failing for any team not to have been able to sign Adrian,” Windsor said on his YT live video.

“Whether or not he (Newey) doesn’t do anything at all now or whether he goes to Ferrari, it’s not very likely he’s going to go to Mercedes,” he further added, and said, “That is a big thing. Not that anyone can sack Toto for that,” Windsor said about Wolff’s power within the team, before continuing to highlight the grave mistake of not having a discussion with Newey, “but that would be about the most obviously negative thing that he’s (Wolff) done recently.”

Attempting to sign Newey could’ve been the least Mercedes did to get their affairs in order. But that possibility is now out of the picture. Peter Windsor also believes that Wolff’s Brackley outfit would’ve been better off if Wolff never signed George Russell.

How Toto Wolff’s George Russell call led to Lewis Hamilton’s exit

Mercedes’ stagnant state, even after big upgrades, was the biggest reason behind Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move. But his consistent on-track conflicts with teammate George Russell, contrary to Valtteri Bottas’ obedience to team orders, were also frustrating.

“To me, it’s still an unanswered question why he signed George to replace Valtteri,” Windsor said, baffled. “Because Valtteri was a very good teammate to Lewis. Lewis has never really been happy with George, as we’ve said from day one, because basically, George is quicker. But it’s odd because Toto put so much into Valtteri’s career early on. So I’ve never really understood why he replaced Valtteri,” he further said.

There are a lot of questions that Toto Wolff has to answer. If they falter even with the 2026 regulations and a new driver line-up, will the Austrian finally call it quits?