Toto Wolff Blames a “Diva” for Mercedes Horrors, but It’s Not “Biggest Diva” Lewis Hamilton

Toto Wolff and his affinity for the word ‘diva’ probably knows no bounds. When it comes to his love for the word, it’s way up there. When you understand the context in which he usually says it, you’ll realize it isn’t all that good. In 2017, he called Mercedes’ W08 a diva because of how difficult it was to drive. In 2021, Lewis Hamilton was influenced by Wolff and adopted the title for his W12. But recently, the tables turned. Instead of calling inanimate cars (despite how they seem to come to life on track) ‘divas,’ Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner named his driver diva!

On an episode of the TG1F Podcast with Kate and Nicole, they asked Steiner who he thinks is the biggest diva in the paddock. He said, “Biggest Diva? I think Lewis [Hamilton].” Instead of letting that name stick to the seven-time champion, Toto Wolff has strayed back to his usual ways. 

Which ‘diva’ has got Lewis Hamilton & Co. in a fix?

When Mercedes started 2023 after a pretty terrible 2022 campaign, it expected to be back in the fight for the title. That dream couldn’t be further from the reality the Brackley squad is now facing. While the W13 has problems with proposing, Mercedes got around to fixing that issue toward the end of 2022. It knew the problem. The thing about this season’s W14 is that the Brackley team still doesn’t completely understand it. Considering there are just six races left in 2023, you would’ve thought Mercedes would at least be a little comfortable with its car. That’s not exactly the case.

When managing a race weekend, it usually goes like this for Hamilton & Co.: Friday is spent understanding the car because of which its pace never hits the mark. After analyzing the data from Friday, Saturday usually shows much better signs. The conclusion? Mercedes requires practice sessions arguably more than any other team. With six races to go and P2 on the line, the Silver Arrows have a problem. Three of the six weekends are Sprint weekends, meaning there’ll only be one practice session. That doesn’t bode well for them, especially considering how well Ferrari—its P2 rival—has been performing in Sprints.

Wolff discussed this issue in Monza. As quoted by Formula Passion, he said, “The car is still so sensitive and difficult to set up that we need more [practice] sessions to get to grips with it. You don’t know how the car will behave when you throw it into a corner. It’s about gaining confidence during these sessions. The more we ride, the more we improve and the better we can refine the set-up. Weekends with the Sprint are not the best for us, precisely because the car is such a ‘diva.’” [Translated by Google]

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Although W14, the Diva, is a short-term problem that Wolff chose to blame for Mercedes’ horrors, he has only himself to blame for what could be a long-term issue.

Has Toto Wolff set into play Mercedes’ doom?

Until 2021, Hamilton was driving alongside Valtteri Bottas in Mercedes. That was the season Wolff decided he’d like to see George Russell step up and take Bottas’ place in Mercedes for 2022. Hamilton suggested against it, but Wolff didn’t listen. A rivalry that stayed dormant for a season and a half is now starting to spark. The first signs of a potential explosion in the Mercedes garage came at the Japanese GP when Russell and Hamilton went head-to-head on track. It was a back-and-forth that could’ve gone terribly wrong for the team, especially in its fight with Ferrari for P2.

F1 journalist Peter Windsor discussed the repercussions of the skirmish on Cameron F1’s YouTube channel. He said, “If [Mercedes] has a championship-winning car, there is a major problem that Mercedes has to face. And that is Lewis Hamilton versus George Russell. The minute Toto decided not to listen to Lewis and got rid of Valtteri [Bottas] and signed George, then there was really no solution to the problem.” Had Wolff listened to Hamilton, this would’ve never been a problem. But you can’t blame Wolff for thinking about Mercedes’ future, too, considering Hamilton is a 38-year-old. Until they’re teammates, this rivalry is set to continue.

Who do you think is the bigger diva? The W14, Lewis Hamilton, or maybe Toto Wolff?

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