Wolff 'Watching Different Grand Prix' At Suzuka Says Danner After Team Principal's Statements
F1Monday, 15 April 2024 at 15:00
Former F1 driver Christian Danner evaluated the competitiveness of Mercedes, saying it's a "disaster what we're witnessing."
Mercedes F1 team missed the mark with the concept of their first car in 2022 and 2023. Nevertheless, Toto Wolff made it clear he does not plan to give up and just wait for a new set of regulations to be introduced in 2026.
The German team significantly changed the concept of their car ahead of the 2024 season, and its design seemed promising. However, Mercedes was far behind its main rivals when it came to delivering results in the first four race weekends of the season.
Not only is the team far from challenging the leading Red Bull, but Mercedes was also slower than Ferrari, McLaren, and even Aston Martin during the most recent race at Suzuka Circuit.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in P7 and P9, respectively. Christian Danner told Servus TV after the Japanese Grand Prix race weekend:
"It's a disaster what we're witnessing. It's not just Hamilton's point of view that he's driving himself ragged and not getting anywhere – it's also about the team."
"And with a team boss who no longer really knows what to say. He's annoyed – but on the other hand, he says we were quite good in Suzuka."
Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Toto Wolff stated Mercedes have made a big step forward in terms of how they run and understand their car.
To be fair to Mercedes team principal, he also acknowledged that the result of his team wasn't great, but Danner couldn't help but scoff at his comments either way:
"When I heard Toto after the Suzuka race, I wondered whether he might have been watching a different Grand Prix."
"You simply have to see the reality. Ferrari has moved forward, and Mercedes is the Ferrari of the 2024 season."
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