Wolff destroyed: “Am I at risk? No. But I would punch myself in the nose…”

A nightmare Melbourne

The constructors' ranking, after 3 GPs, speaks clearly and Mercedes is the fourth force in the championship – after Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren -, closely threatened by Aston Martin.
Certainly not the result that Toto Wolff – number one of the Silver Arrows – he hoped at the start of the world championship. Particularly difficult to digest then double zero today in Melbournewith Lewis Hamilton knocked out due to engine failure and George Russell ending his race against the wall in the final stages.

Does Wolff feel at risk?

After the many victories obtained between 2014 and 2021, Mercedes – with the new regulatory phase that began two years ago – has fallen into anonymity.
In the end-of-race interview given to Sky UK, Toto Wolff, team principal and co-owner of the team admitted: “Being at the top, I have to make sure that my contribution is positive and creative. I'd be the first to say, if anyone has a better idea, tell me. I am interested in turning the team around as quickly as possible and would gladly give my contribution“.

But thegoodbye to Mercedes It's not on the radar: “I look at myself in the mirror every day. Asking myself if I'm the right person to lift the team is an honest question, but leaving is not the answer. I'm not a football coach. This is not my job. I can't interrupt and then go to Chelsea or Liverpool.” he explained in reference to the fact of being a shareholder of the team and continuing: “I don't have this choice and from a certain point of view it's a shame. I'm in a hamster wheel that keeps turning and I can't jump out.”

Wolff's analysis then moved on to the painful result in Melbourne: “What happened is super difficult to deal with and I would be lying if I said I felt optimistic or positive. Today is brutal. We started 2024 convinced that we had a better car than last year. Then you look at the result of Australia in 2023. Leclerc did not finish the race, Sainz finished fourth, McLaren was 17th or 18th or 19th and now they are 40 seconds ahead of us. On the one hand I would like to punch myself in the nose. On the other hand, I realize that when you do things right, things can change quickly and you can continue to believe in them.”