Mercedes get off to their worst start to the season since 2011: Sky expert Ralf Schumacher is correspondingly harsh on the Silver Arrows
This is certainly not how Toto Wolff imagined the first races of the new season: After two years on the wrong track with the much-discussed zero-sidepod concept, 2024 was supposed to be a fresh start – but after four races, the Silver Arrows have had their worst start to the season in terms of points for 13 years: no Mercedes on the podium in the first four rounds of the World Championship, which was also last seen in 2011
For Sky pundit Ralf Schumacher, this is a reason not to mince his words when it comes to Mercedes and team boss Wolff. “I would say that Toto Wolff’s situation is extremely precarious and difficult. Toto is basically not used to losing. That’s logical, he’s always been on the road to success and has left everyone behind. This is a new situation,” says Schumacher in an interview with Sky.
From 2025, Wolff will also have to manage without record world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is moving to Ferrari. “His number one driver has run away from him because he no longer believes in the team either. That means it’s also a huge problem for him now,” said Schumacher. Wolff must “now attack, he must ensure that he remains attractive as a team, that the good drivers also come to him. “
Schumacher: “Mercedes is in a mess “
As an example, Schumacher cites world champion Max Verstappen, who has recently been repeatedly linked with a move to Mercedes due to the quarrels surrounding the Horner affair at Red Bull: “Even if he leaves Red Bull, of course Ferrari is now occupied, but I have to be honest: whether it’s to McLaren or Mercedes or maybe even Aston Martin … as a driver, I don’t know what I would prefer,” is Schumacher’s harsh verdict.
Fernando Alonso’s recent contract extension with Aston Martin underlines Schumacher’s assessment. The Spaniard was also considered a potential Mercedes candidate, but decided to stay with the green team. Mercedes is currently in fourth place in the championship standings behind Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren – and with 34 points has just one more point to its name than Aston Martin, which also uses Mercedes engines.
“His customer teams, aka McLaren, are driving around his ears. That’s the worst thing that can happen,” says Schumacher, almost feeling sorry for the Silver Arrows team boss: “Mercedes is in a mess at the moment. You can also see it in Toto Wolff’s reactions with us. I appreciate him, I like him, but what they’re doing at the moment is a disaster,” said Schumacher.
“Desperate”: Mercedes completely out of control
“Some of them don’t even know what they’re doing. They say, yes, we took it easy on the tires, but then they took it easy on the tires for far too long. They have two cars and I don’t understand why they can’t run two strategies.” In Suzuka, Hamilton and team-mate George Russell were recently on a tactical parallel race, only finishing ninth and seventh in the end.
Schumacher: “It’s a bit topsy-turvy and almost desperate at the moment. At least that’s the impression it gives.” For the Sky expert, one thing is certain: “At the moment, the team doesn’t understand how things are supposed to work. You could see that: At the end of the race with less fuel, the car was fast. Then they suddenly increased the speed and said, well, we should have gone faster from the start. “
For Schumacher, this leaves him shaking his head: “I don’t know how, with so many experts and the great strategies that Mercedes has always had, you can send two drivers into the race so badly and let them wait and see. There really is a lot to do.” Especially for team boss Toto Wolff, of course
