The Mercedes team has experienced quite possibly the worst season of the past decade. The team that won an unprecedented eight championships has now fallen to its knees in 2022. However, instead of diving into the 2023 season head first, the Austrian boss is taking a careful approach.
It is not like Toto Wolff, the Mercedes boss, doesn’t take a careful approach to anything. However, the 50-year-old will surely be careful after understanding the W13’s limitations in the current season. Additionally, Wolff does not want to repeat history with his handling of the 2022 season.
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Speaking about how Red Bull and Ferrari have faced long spells of subpar performances, Mercedes’s boss had a realistic reply.
“Ferrari lost the lead and its best drivers. This loss of performance dates back to when Schumacher, Brawn and Todt broke up in 2006-2007,” he said about the Ferrari situation.
Toto Wolff then discussed Red Bull and said, “Red Bull lost its previous performance due to power unit changes.” (Translated by Google)
He then finally addressed how Mercedes will approach the 2023 season. “Looking at all this and we think we have to be careful. We can’t let this season happen again,” he concluded.
Read More: Toto Wolff Unravels Mercedes F1’s 2023 Plans: “…Are Missing, We Have Discovered”
Toto Wolff is being extremely wary of the past. Moreover, he is trying to learn from the mistakes of his rivals as they head into the 2023 season.
Although despite being careful, the setbacks from 2022 will still haunt the team, according to the billionaire.
The Mercedes boss admits the setback from 2022 has left them at a disadvantage
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The Silver Arrows would enter a Formula 1 season, not as the champions for the first time since 2014. It would be a new feeling for the team, but it would also tell them there is a new challenge, that Toto Wolff is not scared by.
“In Formula 1, I don’t have a feeling of fear. It’s a huge feeling and we always need to be clear,” said Toto Wolff. Although the boss did admit the team has lost a lot of development time because of W13’s poor state. However, finishing third in the championship has given the team additional wind tunnel time.
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Will Mercedes be able to utilize the additional time to their advantage? Can Mercedes take the fight to Red Bull and Ferrari in the 2023 season? We will only find out in the first week of March.