Toto Wolff: There are no miracles in sports

In an interview, Mercedes team leader Toto Wolff outlined the team’s goals for 2024 and assessed the prospects in the battle for the first positions.

Question: How do you feel about the start of the new season?
Toto Wolff: I’m very happy that we’re returning to the track, and of course I’m interested in how fast the car will be. I think we will understand quite soon whether the chassis problems inherent in last year’s car have been resolved. We have a mountain to climb to get back to the front, but we are focused on achieving this goal.

Q: What progress do you expect at the start of the season?
Toto Wolff: Formula 1 is a constant competition with other teams. We may have a great car, but if we only drive around the track, we will never know if it is the best.

Last year we had a very close battle with Ferrari and McLaren, and sometimes with Aston Martin. Red Bull had a huge lead over the rest, but I hope we take a step forward early this year and get closer to Red Bull.

Q: How do you assess the progress the team has already made this season?
Toto Wolff: We work according to the ambitious goals we have set ourselves. Sometimes we fail to achieve them, and sometimes it turns out even better than we thought. Many of the tasks were given high priority to improve the car’s handling and make it more stable. But only on the track will we discover what we have achieved.

Question: How excited is the team about the challenge of overtaking rivals who have built one of the most dominant cars in the history of the sport?
Toto Wolff: On the one hand, you have to realistically assess the chances of beating a team that, according to current regulations, is significantly ahead of its opponents and that, unlike us, has done everything right over the past two seasons. Miracles do not exist in sports.

On the other hand, we have high ambitions. Red Bull turned out to be a very successful car, which became a benchmark for us. I don’t know when we can get ahead of them, because we don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future. We will soon find out how far ahead they are and what challenges our team faces.

Q: How much stronger has the team become after the previous two seasons?
Toto Wolff: I believe that the last two years have been necessary to rebuild, regroup and reinvent ourselves in some areas.

No sports team can win every championship it plays. It’s just a fact. I think we accomplished a lot, but we also knew that one day our task would become more difficult. This happened in 2022 and 2023. But this means that we also have to change, without giving up all the good that is already in the team. We want to keep all the good things and work on the areas where we need to improve.

Such a principled approach is never easy, but we have already made progress and look forward to taking a step forward with the W15. Our path will not be linear, but if we stumble, we will get up and keep climbing the mountain.

Q: It was recently announced that James Ellison will remain as CTO. To what extent does this indicate that the team is moving in the right direction?
Toto Wolff: James is a great leader. He has been with us in the past and will continue to be with us in the future. The extension of his multi-year contract guarantees leadership stability. However, there are many other leaders in the team who have made medium to long-term commitments. We tried to understand what kind of organizational structure we wanted in the future, and I’m glad we avoided compromises in building it.

Question: You also recently extended your contract as director and team leader. What do you expect from the next three years in relation to the upcoming regulatory changes?
Toto Wolff: As a shareholder I will always be part of the team, but I felt that I could contribute more as a manager and director. The past year has given me the opportunity to reflect on the areas where I can improve, and more importantly, it has given me insight into our prospects for the years ahead. We have built a management structure and this stability gives the team confidence.

Q: What approach did the team take in developing this year’s car?
Toto Wolff: It was clear to us that we had chosen a less successful development path over the past two years. In Formula 1 there is no magic solution that will radically change our chances. It really comes down to doing the little things right. This is exactly what we tried to do with the W15 in the winter.

Question: Before the start of the season, news emerged about the team’s riders. What do you think?
Toto Wolff: We knew that one day the collaboration with Lewis would end. We thought this would happen at the end of 2025, but the new date came as a surprise to us. I respect the decision he made.

Nothing changes for us this year – our goals remain the same. We have two great racers. With George we have a fast, talented and smart driver. A solid foundation for the future.

We have a motivated multiple champion in Lewis and we want his last season with us to be as successful as possible.

In recent years, both drivers have learned the same important lessons as the team. They both know what needs to be done and that is positive. Moreover, this is a great opportunity for the coming years. We have the opportunity to determine the future direction and stable driver line-up for the next era in Formula 1. This will be crucial for the team’s continued journey to top positions and we will make a decision on the lineup when the time comes. right.

Q: What else can you say before the start of the 2024 season?
Toto Wolff: Formula 1 is a professional sport that requires constant development, but is associated with failures. It is important to remind ourselves that in ten or twenty years we want to be able to look back and tell ourselves that we had a successful period, despite occasional setbacks.

I believe that when you fall, you have to get up and move on. What I’ve learned most over the past three years is how important it is to recognize what I’ve learned when I’m not achieving my goals. This is the key to long-term success.

We hate losing, and this feeling drives us forward. However, this does not mean that the team cannot enjoy the challenge and problem solving we face. All this is also part of the development.