Fourth in 2024 could be Mercedes 'advantage' – Wolff

Sep.18 (GMM) Not doing overly well in 2024 actually has “advantages” for a top Formula 1 team like Mercedes, team boss Toto Wolff insists.

The Brackley based team has won three grands prix so far this season, but Mercedes sits behind McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.

“There are still seven races to go,” Wolff said during an interview with Osterreich newspaper. “We cannot rest on our laurels because we also want to set the direction for the development of the new car, because our performance next year will depend on it.

“It’s not like we’re shouting ‘Hurrah!’ We are only fourth with little hope of third place,” said the Austrian. “But that can also bring advantages.”

When the interviewer sounded confused that being outside the top three teams at the end of the season could be advantageous, Wolff reminds him: “As fourth best, we get more wind tunnel time, and that can help us a lot with development next year. Because then we’ll be talking about 2026.”

Indeed, all-new, sweeping regulations changes will come into force in 2026, and paddock rumours suggest Mercedes may already be ahead of the field with its new power unit for the new era.

If Mercedes gets its 2026 package right from the beginning, it’s possible a new era of dominance, reminiscent of the 2014-2020 era, could dawn.

“Exactly. That’s the silver lining for us,” said Wolff.

Mercedes has struggled with the current ‘ground effect’ rules era, which kicked off in 2022 – which Red Bull aced from the start.

When asked about Red Bull’s sudden performance slump, Wolff said: “It’s unbelievable how things have gone backwards for them.

“But when you lose so many important people, it has to have some effect.”

The great Adrian Newey, for instance, is heading to Aston Martin early next year. “Aston can become a force to be reckoned with from 2026 onwards,” Wolff says.

“They also have a super manager in Andy Cowell who can make things fly,” he added, referring to Mercedes’ former engine chief during the team’s 2014-2020 reign.