“It is a wake-up call,” Toto Wolff rattled over Aston Martin gaining two seconds in half a year
Toto Wolff believes Red Bull is way ahead of Mercedes, and the team hopes to catch up with Ferrari and Aston Martin.
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Toto Wolff. Image via Twitter
Toto Wolff, Mercedes boss, has admitted the team will need to change their car concept. The team believed in the concept and wanted to make it work. They made developments over the winter break, but unfortunately, they are not where they want to be. The porpoising has been eradicated, which is a positive sign for them. However, Wolff now realizes that Aston Martin is way ahead of them.
Aston Martin’s performance over the pre-season testing, free practice, and qualifying has rattled the Mercedes team boss. Mercedes believed in their zero-side pod concept and spent a lot of time on it, but, after seeing George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualify behind Fernando Alonso, they feel they have to change the concept.
Toto Wolff aims to win championships. The team wants to close the gap with Red Bull. Though they plan to take one step at a time, they know Aston Martin’s performance. This is a problem that needs an immediate solution. After the Bahrain qualifying, Wolff stated, “We started last year with six tenths and we started this year with six tenths and that is the reality”.
Related: F1 Bahrain GP: Carlos Sainz expects Fernando Alonso to be “at Ferrari’s pace or quicker”
Toto Wolff is certain the team will find solutions and fix their car
“Aston Martin gained two seconds in half a year and their car is half ours, from the engine, gearbox and rear suspension and using the same wind tunnel. There are a lot of parallels and we need to acknowledge that they have done an outstanding job.” While Toto Wolff applauds Aston Martin, he knows that the time is ticking and Mercedes should get back on top at the earliest.
Toto Wolff is one of the brilliant minds in the paddock. It won’t be long before his ego is hurt if Aston Martin overshadows Mercedes. After all, Mercedes supplied most of their parts, and Aston Martin figured it out and cracked the code. On the bright side, the team finds this encouraging, Wolff knows they can fix their car and make the necessary changes to get back on top.
Aston Martin’s performance has impacted Mercedes in a good way. The team invested their time and energy in a concept they believed in for a long time, but now Toto Wolff feels the need to make alterations. The team will discuss within the group and embark on a different journey to achieve their goals, even if that means changing their car concept. The time seems to pass very quickly in Formula One. Mercedes will have to pick itself up and move forward.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)