George Russell Bashes Toto Wolff by Giving Zak Brown and Co’s Example

There’s a famous saying in the world of F1 that is taken literally to the heart and the head by the Team Principals, “If you’re not improving, then you’re falling backward”. Look at Mercedes, who was the 3rd fastest car in 2022, the 4th fastest towards the end of the 2023 season, and now arguably the 5th fastest depending on the race track. George Russell has now given Toto Wolff a reality check by giving McLaren’s example.

Mercedes and McLaren have been on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to the development of their car. While the Silver Arrows have been falling through the cracks, the Papaya team has been climbing the ladder and is arguably the second fastest team, or maybe on terms with Red Bull in terms of pace. But it wasn’t like this for McLaren if we go back in time about 12 months.

McLaren started the 2023 season on the back foot, arguably being the slowest car. But that was until they brought the B Spec car, which turned their fortunes around and made them a podium contender. The Papaya team understood what was wrong. Zak Brown did the chopping at the team and got it right the second time. Mercedes on the other hand have been struggling to understand what’s wrong with their car and hence cannot fix those problems. Even if they think they understand, the solutions in terms of upgrades just tell them that they’re wrong. 

George Russell has now come out to point the same to Toto Wolff and rub salt on his wounds, as Lando Norris took his maiden victory with McLaren in Miami. According to Motorsport, George Russell said, “McLaren qualified P17 and P18 12 months ago in Miami, and [on Sunday] they won. So it shows what’s possible when they get things right. But right now we don’t have things right.”

Lewis Hamilton probably gave up on Mercedes after the Silver Arrows were unable to get the regulations right and hence decided on the Ferrari move. Regardless, the 7X champ suggested that their car does have the underlying pace, but just the nature of it and how it handles prevents the driver from getting the maximum. 

Lewis Hamilton decoded Mercedes’ Achilles Heel after the Miami GP

Having a fast car is one thing and getting the most out of it is another. Hence, the drivability of the car, which the drivers keep complaining about, is equally important to the performance. Most of the time, the simulation data would only show the performance figures, which are quantitative, but the drivability is qualitative and hence cannot be comprehended by the machines. Mercedes has been stuck in this loop where the data shows that the car is fast, but the driver keeps complaining about the car not being so. 

We’ve seen inconsistencies with Mercedes over the last year or so, where the car will be fast in one session but not the other. This is because it has a very small working window, and being on either side just strips the car of its pace. Explaining the same, Lewis Hamilton said, “All my career I don’t know if I’ve ever had such a small window. I mean, our car has been unpredictable for the last two years, so it’s trying to find that balance. You’re on a knife’s edge for performance.”

What do you think? Will Toto Wolff and Co. learn from McLaren and learn from their mistakes?