Toto Wolff Gets Shaken Back to Reality as Mercedes’ Turbulence Gives Upper Hand to McLaren

The saga of Mercedes’ turbulence started in 2022. After dominating the turbo-hybrid era for seven years, Mercedes handed over the reins to Red Bull. With the new ground-effect regulations in play, Red Bull hit the mark, and Mercedes couldn’t have fallen short by a larger margin. After struggling through 2022, the Brackley squad could’ve had a better 2023. How? By listening to Lewis Hamilton. Instead, Toto Wolff ignored him, and now, the false dawn it achieved a year ago at the Brazilian GP was precisely why Mercedes had a terrible outing in Interlagos last weekend.

Toto Wolff & Co. couldn’t have started 2023 on a worse note. The W14 was a bad car. That was the bottom line. After introducing a B-spec, the team has somehow managed to stay second in the Constructors’ Championship. But by no means is it the second-best car on the grid. Who has the upper hand on it? One of the teams it supplies its engine to—McLaren.

Toto Wolff & Co.’s Brazilian GP bashing proved McLaren’s superiority

Just like Mercedes, McLaren couldn’t have started 2023 on a worse note. The difference between them was that the Papaya team accepted that the MCL60’s original design wouldn’t work. Mercedes failed to accept that its 2022 zero-pod concept should’ve had a similar fate to the original MCL60. But even though both teams now have B-spec cars, the W14 is no match for the MCL60. Yes, Hamilton had a couple of great weekends coming into the Brazilian GP. Crossing the line in P2 in Austin and Mexico (even though he was disqualified from Austin) pointed to positive signs for Mercedes. 

As it came to Interlagos to defend George Russell’s crown from 2022, Wolff said the team was “cautiously optimistic.” Turns out, Hamilton and Russell could only afford to be cautious during the race as they tried to avoid getting overtaken. In the end, it was a terrible weekend for Mercedes, but a good one for McLaren. Since the Woking outfit brought its upgrades, McLaren has outperformed Mercedes almost every weekend. In Brazil, as Hamilton finished in P8, Lando Norris was in P2. Russell ended with a DNF, but at least Oscar Piastri crossed the finish line. 

F1 expert Peter Windsor talked about Mercedes’ poor form in Interlagos in his post-race debrief. He said, “It’s not as if Mercedes have been anywhere… Yes, occasionally they find sweet sports, and yes, occasionally they get good podium finishes. But recently, they haven’t really looked like out-racing McLaren and that is the biggest problem they have. They can’t even beat McLaren at the moment, let alone Red Bull.” So how did Mercedes settle in P2 in the championship? “It’s not as if they’re up and down. They’re basically just finding sweet spots periodically,” explained Windsor.

Read More: As Cold War Against Lewis Hamilton Turns Sour, George Russell Gets “Passive-Aggressive” With Toto Wolff & Co.

There’s no doubt McLaren clearly has the upper hand on Mercedes right now. Toto Wolff knows it, Hamilton knows it, and everyone watching knows it. And it all comes down to Mercedes’ inability to understand the W14. Speaking of the W14, Hamilton gave his thoughts on it after the race, and he was sure happy.

Lewis Hamilton was ‘elated’ about his Brazilian GP

To put it simply, Mercedes’ Brazilian GP was a disaster. After Hamilton and Russell started in P5 and P8, both drivers dropped places like bricks. While the car seemed competitive in recent races, Interlagos brought to light some significant problems with the car. Who would’ve expected Mercedes to lose to both the teams it supplies its engine to (McLaren and Aston Martin) and an Alpine on merit? Hamilton sure didn’t. But after the fact, he couldn’t help but express his happiness about the end of the Brazilian GP.

After crossing the line, Hamilton just had to express how excited he was about getting one step closer to the end of the season. He exclaimed on the radio, “Yeeesssss! [Nearly the end of the W14]. It didn’t feel as disastrous as yesterday. I felt that I drove a good race in managing the tires than I did yesterday. We are really slow on straights and sliding the car through the corners.” He added, “We will go and look at this and see if we could do things differently. Two more races with this thing then no more driving it.”

WATCH THIS STORY | How 10-year-old friendship between Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff is coming in the way of $35 million worth contract renewal

What are your thoughts on the Mercedes’ 2023 season?