Schumacher Warns Mercedes About 'Disastrous' Consequences

Friday, 09 February 2024 at 04:00

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Ralf Schumacher warned in a recent interview that the Mercedes Formula 1 team "has to get its act together" as soon as possible.

After a long period of constant dominance, Mercedes's winning streak was slightly interrupted in 2021 (when Max Verstappen snatched the Drivers' Championship) and completely destroyed in 2022 (when Mercedes failed to build the best car).

The German team has not been able to recover since 2022. While they ranked better in the Championship in 2023, Silver Arrows failed to win a single Grand Prix.

Could this be the end of Mercedes's era? The team made important moves to secure contracts with their team principal, Toto Wolff, and technical director, James Allison, signaling stability within the team.

From the outside, Mercedes still resembled strength until last week when shocking news about Lewis Hamilton's exit from the German team to Ferrari hit the World.

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Now, people are questioning whether the team has their act together. Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher told the German Press Agency, as per Nordbayerischer Kurier:

"Mercedes has to get its act together as quickly as possible, there’s no question about it. If not, that would mean continuous weakness."

Even if Silver Arrows didn't catch Red Bull during 2024 and 2025, the German team has to hit a home run in 2026 when F1 enters new regulations. Otherwise, according to Schumacher, it would suggest the team is no longer capable of building Championship-winning cars.

"[It would] mean that they obviously no longer understand how to build a car capable of winning. And that would be disastrous for a brand like Mercedes and with its successes in recent years."

While Mercedes's team principal said he believes it is possible to fight with Red Bull even in 2024 or 2025, the Former F1 driver added, "There is relatively little to suggest that Max Verstappen and Red Bull will not continue their dominance."