Mercedes boss claims that he will 'give up every profit' just to win again in F1

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has claimed that he will 'give up' business profits should it mean that his team wins again in the sport. The Austrian has stressed that he values winning on track more than making a profit, going against common business knowledge.

The Silver Arrows is slowly climbing its way back to the top after yet another dismal start to the year. This time, however, the team decided to ditch their radical 'zeropod' concept in favor of more traditional sidepods. Despite having debuted the new upgrades in Monaco, the team got the first real taste of its effects in Spain, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finishing P2 and P3, respectively.

While the results are seemingly coming Mercedes' way after Spain, the team is still considerably behind Red Bull, and particularly Max Verstappen, who drove off into the sunset in Barcelona, winning the race by over 23 seconds.

While discussing the team's goals with CNBC, Mercedes' Toto Wolff said:

"I would give up every profit just to win on track. Which, for a normal business owner, may sound crazy, but it is how we are calibrated. It's the stopwatch that sounds; less so the P&L."

Mercedes boss on the performance gap with Red Bull in Spain

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently acknowledged the performance disparity between his team and Red Bull at the 2023 F1 Spanish GP.

Mercedes implemented significant performance upgrades, such as a completely revamped sidepod design and a geometric redesign of the front suspension, which proved to be highly successful in Barcelona. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell achieved podium finishes, with Russell impressively climbing from P12 on the starting grid.

However, neither driver posed a serious challenge to Max Verstappen, who effortlessly pulled away from pole position and secured victory with a commanding 23-second lead. Despite Verstappen's dominant performance in Spain, Wolff contends that his team was only two to three-tenths of a second adrift of the formidable Red Bull in Barcelona.

Wolff was quoted as saying by the Spanish wing of Motorsport.com:

"The gap with Red Bull I think was two or three-tenths. That's my opinion and that's how we judge the weekend. It's a big step forward. But we have to stay calm because we also did well in Barcelona last year.

"We know more difficult times are coming but I'm happy with the work the team has done in Brixworth and Brackley."

With the 2023 F1 Canadian GP coming up shortly, it will be interesting to see where the Silver Arrows place.