Toto Wolff & Co. Set Horrible Note for 2024 as Mercedes Officially Mark Their Worst Start in Hybrid Era

Right now, it feels like things are falling apart around Toto Wolff and there isn’t much that he can do. From his star driver leaving to the W15 not performing as wanted, this is not a great sign for the team. Lewis Hamilton’s last season with Mercedes is disappointing but the switch is starting to make more sense.

But while this happens, Toto Wolff is yet to figure out a driver for next year and also how to improve the performance of the car. Lewis Hamilton ended up finishing behind the Ferrari rookie, Oliver Bearman during the Saudi Arabian GP despite starting ahead of the 18-year-old. Now while this hurts, the stats don’t help the team either.

2024 is not the year for Mercedes

The previously unbeatable team has so far scored 26 points, which leaves them behind Red Bull who is leading the pecking order, Ferrari who is at P2, and McLaren who is surprisingly quicker than Mercedes this year. With only 26 points, this has been their worst season since the Hybrid era came into being in 2014.

Toto Wolff is not happy with the car and surprisingly Lewis Hamilton is the lower-scoring driver by a considerable margin. While George Russell has scored 18 points for the team, Hamilton is at 8 which is just 2 points ahead of Oliver Bearman who just participated in one race. The team that has dominated for many years in a row is now fighting in the midfield. The battle that was initially fought between Red Bull and Mercedes is now Ferrari catching up with the champions. And on the other hand, Mercedes is struggling to keep up with McLaren who are 2 points away.

Having 26 points when Red Bull stands at 87 and Ferrari at 49, Toto Wolff will need to quickly figure out the issues at hand and get them fixed before they drop into the lower half of the pecking order. After the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Mercedes Boss has highlighted some issues that the team is facing in optimizing the output of the W15.

What are the main problems behind Mercedes not performing?

One of the main issues that the team is facing is the experimental setups that Lewis Hamilton has been using. George Russell has a more comfortable car as he can achieve more than his world champion counterpart.

In previous statements, Toto Wolff has mentioned that there has been something wrong with their designs since 2022 and he still cannot put a finger on it. The team principal also mentioned that they are unable to get accurate aerodynamic data from their simulators which is making it difficult to understand the issues.

The car is struggling in straights and as the drivers have mentioned, the car is quite bouncy and does not feel confident during turns. While Mercedes works on fixing these issues, there is a chance they can fight for the top 3. However, as we move on to round 3 at the Australian Grand Prix, there is a 2-week gap, will the Silver Arrow figure out their shortcomings and climb the charts? What do you think will happen? Let us know in the comments below.

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