Schumacher: Wolff's situation is extremely precarious and difficult
F1 NewsTuesday, 16 April 2024 at 07:30
Ex-Formula 1 driver turned Sky Germany pundit, Ralf Schumacher has launched a scathing attack on Mercedes and their boss Toto Wolff, as the former F1 World Champions embark on yet another disappointing season.
Fresh from a winless season in 2023, and a one-win season in 2022, the third year of the 'new' F1 rules is upon us yet the team cannot figure out how to build a fast car anymore. Something is amiss with the former serial winners, as Lewis Hamilton is set to endure his worst season if their form does not improve.
The seven-time F1 World Champion has picked a fine time to ditch Mercedes for Ferrari, no matter where the next chapter of his remarkable and record-breaking journey leads.
Mercedes needs to find a driver to fill the big shoes vacated by Hamilton with Wolff revealing recently that the choice was down to "one, two or three" drivers, which might've included evergreen Fernando Alonso.
But with the Spanish veteran committing to Aston Martin this week, it appears to leave Carlos Sainz or Kimi Antonelli as possible teammates for Russell, next year and beyond. Another tricky decision that Wolff needs to get right for the good of the team.
Schumacher: Wolff's situation is extremely precarious
In the wake of a disappointing Japanese Grand Prix for the German team, Schumacher made it clear who is to blame for the current situation at Mercedes: "I'd say that Toto Wolff's situation is extremely precarious and difficult.
"Toto is fundamentally not used to losing. That's logical, he was always on the road to success and left everyone behind. This is a new situation," Schumacher explained during an interview with Sky Germany.
"His number one [Hamilton] driver defected because he no longer believes in the team. That means it's a huge problem for Wolff now too, he has to attack now, he has to make sure that Mercedes remains attractive as a team and that the good drivers also come to it," declared Ralf.
Mercedes is looking for a teammate to replace Ferrari-bound Hamilton and to partner George Russell in the team from 2025. Wolff has made no secret of his desire to lure Verstappen to Mercedes, but on current form why would he move away from a winning team?
Schumacher reckoned: "Even if Max leaves Red Bull, Ferrari is now occupied, of course, but I have to be completely honest: Whether it's to McLaren or Mercedes... As a driver, I don't know which I would prefer."
A harsh but hard-to-argue-against statement by Schumacher, considering that Mercedes customers - McLaren and Aston Martin - are better or as good as the works team.
Customer team McLaren has bettered Mercedes for the best part of a year
Schumacher went on: "Mercedes customer teams, alias McLaren, are driving around them in circles. That's the worst thing that can happen to you. Mercedes is in trouble at the moment. You can also see it in Wolff's reactions to us. I appreciate him, I like him, but what they're doing at the moment is a catastrophe. Some of them don't even know what they're doing.
"They say, yes, we took care of the tyres, but then they took care of the tyres for far too long. They have two cars, and I don't understand why they shouldn't have two strategies," observed Schumacher, referring to both Hamilton and Russell running the same strategy at the Japanese GP on their way to P9 and P7 respectively.
Mercedes spends GP weekends trying to convince all and sundry they have 'finally found the problem on Thursday. While the top teams keep their powder dry in the Friday sessions, Merc unleashes some performance that gets their juices going. Then on Saturday, they go the wrong way in qualy before hoping to rebound in Sunday's race, which does not happen.
In other words, when they roll out the W15, like with the W14 last year, Mercedes are not sure whether the 'Bad Car' would turn up or the 'Very Bad Car' because a Good Car has not been on hand for Lewis and George for a long time, the younger of the two never even getting his hands on a really good Merc in three years of racing for the team.
Schumacher: It's a bit haywire at the moment and almost desperate at Mercedes
It has been clear since the 2024 season started, the woeful Mercedes W15 is much like last year's W14, namely "sh!t" as Russell put it bluntly during Episode 1 of the current Netflix 'Drive to Survive' season.
As for what's going on with the once mightiest team F1 had ever seen, Schumacher ventured: "It's a bit haywire at the moment and almost desperate. At least that's the impression it gives. At the moment the team doesn't understand how things should run.
"You saw: at the end of the race with less fuel, the car was fast. Then you suddenly increased the speed and said, well: We should have driven faster from the start.
"With so many experts and the great strategies that Mercedes has always had, I don't know how you can send two of them into the race like that. There's a lot to do," lamented six-time Grand Prix winner
Brother of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, Schumacher is Sky Germany's version of former F1 driver turned Sky UK pundit Martin Brundle.
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