Toto Wolff is confident Mercedes will learn from their setbacks as they work to challenge Red Bull in 2024. After a tricky season, the Silver Arrows must prove they understand this iteration of F1 cars.
Aside from Red Bull, most teams have faced significant obstacles with the current F1 regulations. Aston Martin regressed mid-season, McLaren struggled in early 2023, and Ferrari struggled after the 2022 summer technical directive.
To some degree, Mercedes can be forgiven for falling victim to this generation of F1 cars. However, excuses will not take away the advantage Adrian Newey’s technical team has established.
Despite relatively limited mid-season development, the reigning Champions enter 2024 with a significant cushion. This will force the chasing pack to take risks and make big leaps over winter.
Reflecting upon the last twelve months, Toto Wolff explained why rivals will regret Mercedes’ struggles:
“We learnt a lot. The races and the seasons that are difficult are the ones where you learn the most.
“And we always say, the days we lose are the days our competitors are going to regret, because we learn the most.
“I think there’s so many lessons that we learned as an organisation, as humans, but also technically that will be beneficial going forward.
“I wouldn’t be able to pick one out though because there’s so many things that we have looked at that will help us progress over the next year.”
Traditionally, the Austrian team principal has been more conservative in his pre-season comments. Of course, Wolff is still balancing a sense of optimism with caution.
Overly positive predictions could always age very badly when the year begins.
Then again, the Silver Arrows have represented excellence in Formula 1 for almost a decade. Finishing second or third is unacceptable, especially if the winning team dominates.
There will be plenty of reasonable excuses if Mercedes aren’t challenging when 2024 begins. However, these will mean very little if Verstappen and Red Bull continue to shatter records.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
