Wolff Reveals Why Newey Won't Join Mercedes F1

Toto Wolff explains why Adrian Newey, despite his fame, wasn’t the right fit for Mercedes F1’s future plans.

Mercedes F1 Could Have Tried to Sign Adrian Newey, Who Will Ultimately Join Aston Martin After Leaving Red Bull in the Spring. But Toto Wolff, the Team Principal, Explains Why Formula 1’s Most Famous Engineer Did Not Fit into the Plans at Brackley.

“I Think All Teams Considered It. James and I Discussed, Developed This Project,” Wolff Said, Referring to the Joint Deliberation with Director James Allison on How to Integrate Newey into the Team.

“However, We Concluded That the Structure We Have Today is the One We Trust and Want to Continue With. That Said, We Have a Lot of Respect for Newey, but We Dropped the Idea Because We Believe in Our Team at This Stage.”

Wolff Would Be Delighted if Aston Martin Could Also Mix with the Leading Group, and He Thinks Adrian Newey’s Arrival Could Be a Way for the Silverstone Team to Manage to Join the Fight. In Any Case, He Thinks the Engineer’s Track Record Speaks Volumes About What He Brings to a Team.

“I Think Adrian’s Track Record in Formula 1 Speaks for Itself. He’s a Great Designer, the Greatest Formula 1 Designer If You Look at the Statistics, and If You Combine Him with Someone Like Andy Cowell Who Is, for Me, One of the Strongest Leaders I’ve Ever Met in Any Industry.”

“If They Can Make That Work, I Think It’s a Set to Be Reckoned With. But That’s a Good Thing. The More Competitive Teams at the Front, and if You Look at the Baku Race from the Fan’s Perspective – I Wish We Were Playing at the Front – the More Wonderful It Was.”

“I Think There Are Now Four Drivers Contending for the World Drivers’ Championship, and McLaren Has Taken the Lead in the Constructors’ Championship Today – Who Would Have Thought That Five Months Ago? So If a Team Like Aston Martin, With That Big Name, Could Be Part of the Leading Group, That Would Be Fantastic.”