With less than half the points of customer team McLaren in only one point ahead of Aston Martin, Ralf Schumacher says Mercedes’ start to the season is the ‘worst’ thing that could happen. Although Mercedes was happy after pre-season testing that the brand new W15 was finally a ‘race car’, the 2024 results did not support their claims.
With a best result of P5 at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Mercedes has not only failed to score a podium finish, but is also well behind customer team McLaren in the standings.
The team from Woking has a podium finish to its name by reaching the top three together with Ferrari during the Australian Grand Prix when Max Verstappen had problems with his brakes (video fragment Jack Plooij).
It means that after four races Mercedes has 34 points, one ahead of Aston Martin, but a shocking 107 points behind championship leaders Red Bull. It is 86 points behind Ferrari, which it defeated in the battle for second place last season.
Experts asked Wolff whether he is the right man to make Mercedes great again. He then replied, “I look at myself in the mirror every day about everything I do.”
However, Schumacher thinks this is the ‘worst’ period that Wolff, co-owner of the Mercedes F1 team, has ever experienced as team boss. “Toto Wolff’s situation is extremely precarious and difficult. Toto is not used to losing,” the former driver told Sky Deutschland. “That is logical, he has always been successful and has left everyone behind him. This is a new situation. His customer teams, especially McLaren, beat him. That’s the worst thing that could happen.”
