"The days we lose are the days our competitors will regret!": Toto Wolff fires intense warning to rival F1 teams after dismal 2023 season
Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has issued a warning to rival teams as he promised that the Silver Arrows will rebound from their dismal 2023 campaign.
Mercedes failed to win a race for the first time since 2011 as they finished second in the 2023 constructors' standings. After the German manufacturer made its F1 return in 2010, it enjoyed a dominant period in the turbo-hybrid era, clinching eight constructors' titles between 2014 to 2021.
Red Bull toppled Mercedes to become the top constructor when the ground effect regulations came into effect in 2022. The Silver Arrows also failed to show progress in the second year of the regulation changes, binning their design philosophy midway through the season.
However, team principal Toto Wolff termed the season as a character-building year, as he reckons the team is learning from its mistakes. In an interview with Planet F1 at the Autosport Awards, the Austrian said:
"We knew that there will be a time when it's getting tougher after eight titles, that happened and as I said, the days we lose are the days our competitors will regret, because we are learning the most."
"This year has certainly been character-building and I hope we set stones in place to be more competitive."
Mercedes' team principal Toto Wolff is wary of the deficit between themselves and the reigning champions as he believes the team is facing an uphill challenge heading into 2024.
Wolff has also promised a complete overhaul of the W14, and revealed that their 2024 challenger will be more "conventional" with a few interesting details.
“Next year’s car is going to be more conventional in what you would expect from a Formula 1 car, but there are a few interesting details that we have not seen on other cars yet.”
The Mercedes boss added that "all sails are set for 2024", with the team back in Brackley working in full swing.
Toto Wolff receives advice from rival Red Bull boss
Amidst Mercedes' winless streak, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner acknowledged the pressure on team boss Toto Wolff and advised his rival to keep the team motivated.
Horner led the Milton Keynes outfit through an uncompetitive period between 2015-2020, when the team was miles behind Mercedes. Sharing his learnings from the period, he said on Sky F1 podcast:
"And that will hurt and people start questioning things in the organisation, heads drop and as a leader, you have to motivate them, you have to pick them up. It’s a totally different challenge, being at the top of the field striving to get back there. I think that it’s making sure that people believe in themselves and trying to instil confidence."
Horner reckoned Toto Wolff had a "massive challenge" ahead of him as he needs to revitalize the team, which has hit a rough patch after eight years of continued success.