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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that the team would be willing to integrate design concepts from rivals Red Bull as long as they can develop a quick car.
The Austrian team are in a league of their own in 2023, following up an emphatic one-two finish in Bahrain's season opener with a dominant display throughout the weekend at the Saudi Arabian GP.
With Mercedes struggling to keep up with Ferrari and a resurgent Aston Martin, Wolff admitted recently that their design concept for the W14 was "proven wrong."
Asked by Sportskeeda about the extent to which the Silver Arrows plan to draw inspiration from their rivals, the Austrian executive replied:
“At that stage, we have no dogmatism of how the car should look like. It should just be the quickest possible race car. If that car looks like a Red Bull or basic, I don’t care. It needs to be quick. If it’s Red bull, we can put somewhere with a sticker then I will have no shame if it’s quick. So no dogmatism. For example, we can get creative.”
Speaking on the W14, Wolff believes that the team have not been able to hit the bull's eye when it comes to their performance targets. The 51-year-old said:
“I think you are trying to fire it right on to the target, and then first time we missed it on the left and we looked at the target again and next time we missed it on the right. So that’s a bit where we are.”
Toto Wolff believes he will stay at Mercedes as long he thinks he can still contribute towards its success
Toto Wolff has said that he will continue in his role as the Mercedes team principal as long as he is competent enough to carry out his job. The former Williams investor owns approximately 30% of the Silver Arrows and has been their team principal and Executive Director since 2013.
The Austrian's role in the team has been criticized by fans and critics of the sport amid their recent slump.
Asked if he considered stepping down at any point or was planning to call it quits as the Mercedes team boss, Wolff said:
“Whether I was good or bad I really enjoy being the team principal of the team. I think I can contribute. If one day I come to the conclusion or people that are close to me are going to tell me that I’m not, then I will consider giving the baton to somebody else. I will have no shame that I have criticised from the sidelines from a TV screen and know it better. But until then I’m still having fun doing it. And obviously turning a ship around after so many years , that’s a really a good challenge. Enjoyable.”
With Mattia Binotto being axed as team principal by Ferrari after their dismal championship battle in 2022, there have been question marks surrounding Wolff’s leadership role at Mercedes.
The team recently put out a statement ahead of the Saudi GP, calling out some of the abuse online. However, their race in Jeddah is going to be a tough battle between their customer team Aston Martin, Ferrari and Alpine, who appear to be stronger than them.
