Toto Wolff is under pressure amid another dismal season for Mercedes, but the team leader is fighting back against accusations he needs to bring in more support.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ CEO, has rejected demands that he employ a ‘design guru’ to improve the company’s faltering automobile.
The Silver Arrows have had a dismal season thus far, following two years of hardship. The German team decided to adapt their philosophy for this season in the hopes of igniting a turnaround.
But those aspirations have been crushed, as neither Lewis Hamilton nor George Russell have finished on the podium thus far. They reached a new low in the recent Australian Grand Prix, when neither Hamilton nor Russell completed the race.
Wolff is under increasing criticism as a result of that disappointing outcome, especially since Hamilton will be joining Ferrari next season. However, the team’s principal has responded to recommendations that he hire a ‘design guru’ to help them turn things around.
“So, you came up with the concept of a design guru first? I believe you should always look at yourself, just like I do. What is it? Why can’t we get there? Wolff said when asked if he needed a ‘guru’.
“We are all human.” You know the answer: data do not make decisions; humans do. So we won’t stop. I’m not sitting here and dwelling, but rather the opposite. I’m thinking about what else we need to do and how we can push.
Wolff has been brutally honest about his team’s dismal performance in Melbourne. He confessed immediately following the race that he was having difficulty seeing any short-term benefits.
“I would be lying if I said I always feel happy and hopeful about the situation. But all you need to do is overcome the negative thoughts and say, “We will turn this around.” “Today it feels very, very brutal,” he stated.
“We began the season with the assumption that this car is better than it was last year. McLaren finished 17th, 18th, and 19th, and now they are 40 seconds ahead of us. Obviously, on one side, I want to punch myself in the nose.
“On the other hand, it is a testament to the fact that when things are done correctly, you can turn things around rapidly, and we just have to keep believing. But at the moment, it’s a difficult period.”