Mercedes wary after Ferrari-Mattia Binotto debacle

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Final Practice
Mercedes wary after Ferrari-Mattia Binotto debacle

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff warned his team not to repeat history in the same way as Ferrari. The Prancing Horse was very dominant in the early 2000s but has since fallen from grace. The German outfit, on the other hand, finished third in the constructors' championship this year, after having won the title consecutively from 2014-2021.

The Silver Arrows failed to capitalize on the new aero regulations introduced by the sport at the start of the season. This led to a dramatic lack of pace compared to their rivals.

Mercedes' 2022 challenger, the W13, was riddled with porpoising in the first half of the season. As a result, the team was unable to catch up to Red Bull and Ferrari, who dominated the rest of the field.

Toto Wolff gave his team a lesson in history, claiming that they shouldn't make mistakes like those before them. He referenced Ferrari, who fell from the top rungs of the sport after Michael Schumacher's era. The Mercedes boss said:

"We can be looking at [Ferrari and think] that we had better be careful. This season has gone by in a heartbeat, and we can't let it happen where we look back after next season and be the one [asking: what happened?]"

Mick Schumacher is reportedly to join Mercedes in 2023

Mick Schumacher is reportedly set to join Mercedes as a reserve driver in 2023, taking over Nyck de Vries's responsibilities. The Haas driver lost his F1 seat at the end of the 2022 season and will be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg at the American outfit in 2023.

Schumacher failed to impress in the F1 world in his two seasons at Haas. The F2 champion came into the sport with great promise, hoping to carry on his father's mighty legacy. The German driver, however, was regularly beaten by his much older teammate Kevin Magnussen in 2022, leading to widespread criticism by the F1 fraternity.

Schumacher will now reportedly replace Nyck de Vries at the Silver Arrows as the Dutch driver will make his full-time debut for AlphaTauri in 2023. While news of the young driver's partnership with the German outfit has not yet been confirmed, multiple sources have indicated that the deal is done.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann