Toto Wolff acknowledges Mercedes’ defeat by customer teams, emphasizing the fairness of competition and the benchmark it provides for improvement.
Wolff, Mercedes F1 team principal, is pleased that McLaren has won the Constructors’ Championship. Naturally, the Austrian would have preferred his team to achieve the title, but since that was not the case, he is satisfied that the crown has gone to a customer team of Mercedes HPP, the engine division of the company.
“To be honest, if we cannot win as a works team, I would much rather be beaten by a customer team,” Wolff explained. “I have no issue with that, because it shows us where the benchmark lies.”
“There are no discussions about engine performance levels, no discussions about engine handling, deployment, or energy recovery. None of that. The world champion is our customer team. They have the same hardware.”
“We are competing on equal terms, and if they have a better chassis, better execution, or better drivers, that is absolutely fine with us. It is also a success for Mercedes motorsport, a success for Mercedes, and a success for HPP, even though we know that winning as a works team remains our ultimate goal.”
According to Wolff, being beaten by a customer also helps identify how to improve: “I think this is our mentality in this new era. Not only do the regulations require us to be on equal terms, but this is also how we approach things.”
“This is why the question arises whether one prefers being beaten by a customer team. I would rather be beaten by a customer team and know where the benchmark is. From that perspective, they have the same opportunities as we do. The cost cap is clearly having an impact.”
“In terms of ATR, we are fourth in the championship. Now, that’s 20% more ATR than McLaren, which is an advantage. That’s where they were in the past, but it’s not the reason they have won.”
“They won through solid engineering. It’s as simple as that—strong engineering, brilliant leadership, and talented drivers. Two drivers scoring points, and they deserve full credit for that.”
“Looking at where McLaren started a year and a half ago, they couldn’t even get out of Q1. By the end of last year, they had a good race car, and now they’ve won the Constructors’ Championship. If someone had told me this two years ago, I would have asked, ‘What planet are you living on?’”
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, expressed satisfaction with having such strong engines available: “To be honest, we are quite reassured by the fact that the performance of customer power units matches that of the works teams.”
“Additionally, we have a very good relationship with HPP, a very open dialogue. Even though we understand and acknowledge that Mercedes will always have the final say on configurations, for example, I think the dialogue with HPP is constructive, and we know they listen to our input.”
“Once again, I would say that the FIA has done a great job in safeguarding customer teams so they have the opportunity to win races and championships without having to be a works team.”
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Wolff: Beaten by Customers? A Benchmark for Mercedes Wolff: Beaten by Customers? A Benchmark for Mercedes
