2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg has suggested that some people may need to be moved around at Mercedes amid its current slump in form.
After enduring a difficult 2022 campaign, it has started 2023 on the back foot and doesn’t appear to have a car capable of competing at the front of the grid.
Mercedes went through a period of dominance in the first years of the turbo-hybrid era, winning every title on offer from 2014 to 2020.
In that time, some key figures have departed the team, such as Andy Cowell and James Vowles.
When asked if the Mercedes era of F1 was now over, Rosberg told Sky F1: “I’m not sure, because one of Toto’s [Wolff] strengths was always to do succession planning.
“And if we do look at all the key positions now, it’s all the next generation now running the team, with Mike Elliott, for example, taking over as technical director.
“He was the guy doing our aerodynamics when I was driving there. He’s absolutely brilliant. So the talent that is there is still like second-to-none and that makes it so difficult.
“It’s a big challenge to now decide, is there maybe an issue and some people need to be moved around or something. It’s just really, really difficult.”
Mercedes has conceded that its unique car concept that was unveiled at the start of the 2022 campaign will not bring it back to championship-winning ways.
Rosberg, who took his title with the Brackley-based squad only to retire from F1 days later, says his former team has a huge task on its hands to return to the front of the grid.
“It’s such a difficult situation for them,” Rosberg said.
“They are so used to having great success, winning eight championships in a row, and now to be in such a long period of difficulty and also not making progress, on the contrary, struggling more actually.
“Big changes require a step backwards first and then hopefully, and you are not even sure, hopefully have much more potential and do a bigger step forward to be able to able to fight for wins and championships at some point in the future.
“But that’s not going to be tomorrow.”
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