“We Have No Choice”: Toto Wolff Concedes Defeat to Max Verstappen & Co. Despite Just Being 1 Race Into the Season

Following Bahrain GP, it was clear that Mercedes was in deep trouble. The squad, which last year had its worst season in nearly a decade, intended to make a greater comeback in the 2023 season. However, things didn’t turn out the way they had anticipated, and now, just after one race in the season, it seems Toto Wolff has thrown in the towel in front of Max Verstappen and company.

The previous year, Mercedes struggled with a lacklustre performance, believing that their aerodynamic approach wasn’t the main cause of their issues and that the team will definitely assist their driver to go for title contention with some small adjustments. However, when Aston Martin, who receives its engine supply from Mercedes and its Sidepod from Red Bull, outperformed the Silver Arrows, it demonstrated that the W-14 design is the only reason behind Mercedes’ suffering.

These factors have prompted Toto Wolff to acknowledge the necessity for German manufacturers to create an entirely new type of vehicle. His remarks have suggested that it may be worth changing the stapedius in order to compete with Max Verstappen and Co. Wolff has further stated that rather than working on two separate designs at once, the team will just concentrate on the existing W-14.

As per the formula1news.co.uk, the Austrian said, “ It’s extremely difficult to catch such an advantage [to Red Bull], but it’s what we need to do. We have no choice. I’m not sure the budget cap really gives you constraints in the position where we are because we just need to decide which direction we’re going and put all the resources behind it.”

While concluding the Austrian said, “We’re not going to develop two cars side-by-side, but we’re going to develop one car and we will decide that in the next days and weeks which car that will be.”

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One could be left wondering what went wrong after seeing the Silver Arrows’ underwhelming results. The team had the entire winter to develop the car in accordance with the new regulations, and even though its star driver Lewis Hamilton had concerns about the car’s concept, the team disregarded his advice. The Briton, however, continues to be upbeat about the upcoming campaign.

Lewis Hamilton is optimistic despite the team’s disdain for his wise counsel, which led to a terrible result at the Bahrain Grand Prix

Following a catastrophic season that was full of disappointments, the Silver Arrows had the chance to optimize the development of their vehicle. However, while the team progressed with the development, they decided to disregard the wise counsel of the legendary driver, Sir Lewis Hamilton, and it now appears that they are paying for it.

On the Chequered Flag podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live, Hamilton said, ” Last year, there were things I told them. I said the issues that are with the car. I’ve driven so many cars in my life. I know what a car needs. I know what a car doesn’t need. I think it’s really about accountability. It’s about owning up and saying, Yeah, you know what? We didn’t listen to you. It’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work.”

Nevertheless, the seven times champion still remains upbeat about winning the championship, “We’ve got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points and just huddle up as a team. That’s what we do. We’re still (multiple) world champions, you know? Just haven’t got it right this time. Didn’t get it right last year. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get it right moving forwards.”

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In light of the aforementioned, do you think team Mercedes will make a strong comeback?