Toto Wolff ultimately decides to attend the Japanese Grand Prix, altering his initial plans in response to the ongoing challenges faced by Mercedes in the competition, in an effort to turn the situation around.
In recent years, as the Formula 1 calendar expanded, the Mercedes F1 team boss began missing some events outside Europe, such as Suzuka and Qatar.
However, given the team’s failure to provide George Russell and Lewis Hamilton with a competitive car for the third consecutive season, Wolff will now swap his weekend at home for one on site.
Wolff also now admits that his direct assessment of the situation, which some viewed as pessimism, needs refinement.
“An Austrian says ‘It’s a pretty mess.’ A Brit would say ‘It’s a challenge.’ So, I need to adjust my way of communicating to not add more pressure on the team. The fact that we’re not competitive has nothing to do with a lack of effort.”
He also praises how Russell, who crashed into the barriers in the final moments in Melbourne, and Hamilton, who experienced an engine failure in the same race, are handling the situation.
“Lewis is as good as it gets. On one hand, it’s super frustrating to see that we’re not there, and then he looks over the fence (at Ferrari) and things seem pretty good there. But that’s not his main priority today.”
“And George is a fighter, he persists. He knows Mercedes is his place and we need to fix the problems.”
1978 World Champion Mario Andretti thinks he knows why Russell seems to be faring better.
“Throughout his career, Lewis often had cars with which he could win. He didn’t need to extract the best from them, so he made few mistakes.”
“George had to constantly fight at Williams because the car wasn’t competitive. When he joined Mercedes, he thought he was in heaven, but now you see he has to fight over and over for his position. That’s why he stands out from his teammate.”
“It will be interesting to see what Lewis will do at Ferrari because his great wish is to finish his career well there. But for that, he needs to show a different side this year, prove that he’s not giving up on Mercedes.”
Wolff Reverses Course, Attends Japan GP Amid Mercedes Woes. Wolff Reverses Course, Attends Japan GP Amid Mercedes Woes
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