'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has urged Mercedes to continue to stick with Toto Wolff and James Allison as the team's barren run continues.
Wolff has led the German team through the most dominant era in F1 from 2014 to 2021. When the sport moved on from naturally aspirated engines to V6 Turbo hybrids, Mercedes seized the initiative before everyone else.
It meant that Mercedes had a major headstart over every other team, leading to a dominant eight-year run. The last title won by the German squad was in 2021 when they won the constructors title but lost the driver's title to Max Verstappen of Red Bull. Since then, success has been elusive, though.
Mercedes have found it difficult to adapt to the new ground effect regulations, registering just one race win in two years. The 2024 season is supposed to go better, but the car has not made the positive step that rival teams have. As a result, Wolff has admittedly looked clueless about how the team could get better.
Amidst all that, questions have been raised about Wolff's leadership, with even Allison facing scrutiny. Former F1 racer Karun Chandhok, though, feels that the team needs to stick with the duo and that getting rid of the leaders might not be the right step. Talking to Sky Sports, he said:
“I don’t think you can blame a single person in a team. Toto and James are the ultimate leaders of the team and therefore carry a greater responsibility for the overall performance than people in individual departments, but they are not the ones drawing the car or the ones looking into the detail of it."
He added:
“I don’t think sacking Toto or James is going to fix the problem. What they need to do is understand what Red Bull have got right and how Red Bull have been able to unlock this amazing performance in this era of car. Whether that means poaching some people from Red Bull, that might be an answer. That’s where Toto and James come in. It’s about making sure they are hoovering up the right people in the team.”
Mercedes boss might be running out of patience - Martin Brundle
After the Australian GP last weekend, Toto Wolff fielded a lot of queries. They included why the car is still not good enough and what improvements need to be made. There were even questions about the Austrian's leadership and if he's the right man to lead the team.
Talking about Mercedes' decline and the kind of questions Wolff has had to field for nearly three years, Martin Brundle reckons the Austrian's patience might be starting to run out, considering the lack of improvements in the car. Brundle said:
“Toto Wolff always has elegant words and phrases to move the story on and refocus for the next race or season, but it must be wearing very thin for him to see the lack of progress.”
Mercedes find itself in a precarious position in the championship. The car has just not been enough to even fight for podiums, so the team will hope to find a better balance to start progressing.
