Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff must take responsibility for the team’s decision to retain the ‘zeropod’ car concept at the start of 2023, claims Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz.
The Brackley-based squad had secured eight consecutive Constructors’ titles until its dominance was curtailed upon the sport’s return to ground effect machinery in 2022.
Mercedes caught the eye during pre-season testing that year when it unveiled a radical interpretation of the current rules with a reprofiled W13 car featuring slim sidepods.
But despite the porpoising phenomenon thwarting its competitiveness, a 1-2 result at the penultimate round in Brazil prompted Mercedes to retain that solution into 2023.
However, a torrid opening qualifying session of the year in Bahrain resulted in Wolff declaring Mercedes would abandon the philosophy, and a revised version of the W14 was launched at May’s Monaco Grand Prix.
The Brackley-based squad would remain restricted by the chassis of its launch-spec challenger, though, and concluded an F1 season winless for the first time since 2011.
Kravitz believes Wolff must shoulder the responsibility for Mercedes’ troubles, citing that he could have prevented the side from heading in the wrong development direction.
“The only thing I’d mark him down on was his keenness to throw the concept away so publicly after qualifying in Bahrain,” Kravitz said of Wolff on the Sky F1 podcast.
“We don’t really know why he did sign off on the ‘sister of the bad car’, which is how Lewis Hamilton described it. W14 was the sister of W13 and they were both not great cars.
“Toto must have signed it off. As a leader, he could have said: ‘I disagree, let’s go with the Red Bull concept.’ But whatever reason they didn’t.
“He signed it off and then [after] that very first [qualifying] session – I remember the interview vividly – coming out so strongly and it took me aback when he said it.
“He said this car is weak. It’s bad. This was after qualifying. The first race.
“I know he was right, but to immediately throw the whole concept in the trash can then was the only [reason] I’m slightly thinking that it wasn’t quite the calm, assured Toto leadership that we’ve seen.”
Amid Mercedes’ struggles, James Allison has returned to the position of Technical Director, swapping places with Mike Elliott who then departed the team in October.
Kravitz suggested that the switch was orchestrated by Wolff but presented alternatively in the public domain to avoid Elliott being chastised for the outfit’s rut.
“[Wolff] saw that he made [Elliott and Allison] agree between themselves,” Kravitz continued.
“As far as the public image was concerned, it was all Mike Elliott’s idea to step back as Technical Director, then go to Chief Technical Officer and then go to pastures new.
“With that all resolved James Allison really will step up. You’d expect him to step up.
“I think Toto has probably learned a lot from these two unsuccessful seasons, one win in two seasons.
“He’s got his failings, Toto Wolff, and maybe not being reactive is one of them.
“But you’ve got to say that he’s got his strengths and the recent issues with the FIA has shown that Toto’s not afraid to fight for himself, for his family and for his team.”
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