Wolff hopes 'serial winner' Mercedes won't lose its fans

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Mercedes ambitions this year to match Ferrari's record run of six consecutive world titles, but hegemony has its drawback says team boss Toto Wolff.

Like in any sport, F1 fans get more joy out of unexpected successes than expected ones. Unfortunately, upsets are currently non-existent in Grand Prix racing, thanks to a prosperous trio of front-running teams - Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull - holding the exclusive rights to victory.

And among the unassailable favourites, Mercedes itself has been in a league of its own for the past five years, although the Scuderia appeared at one point in 2018 to be well-positioned to break its rival's hegemony.

Domination can be tiring for the fans and cause people to switch their allegiances. Wolff is mindful of the phenomenon and tries to counter it by keeping condescension and pride away from Mercedes.

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"I think it is in the nature of the fan that you cheer for the underdog," Wolff told Reuters. "Serial winners lose a little bit of appeal.

"What we are trying to do is to approach our sport and our participation with modesty and humility, not take anything for granted. We should never ever have a feeling of entitlement of winning.

"You can, to a certain degree, if you stay true to these values continue to grow your fan following and continue to have the fans cheering for you although you have won a few times in a row," he contends.

In Mercedes' case, ongoing success has put a couple of outstanding F1 records within reach of the team and its star driver Lewis Hamilton.

The Silver Arrows squad will have the opportunity in the next few years to surpass Ferrari's record of six consecutive titles while Hamilton could equal Michael Schumacher's milestone of seven world crowns.

"You will have two groups; the ones that are cheering for our competitors, hoping that Mercedes are not going to achieve that, and then you will have a large group also that's going to say 'well, this is pretty exciting, are Mercedes going to be able to top Ferrari's record? is Lewis Hamilton going to be able to match Michael Schumacher's record?'," adds the Austrian.

"It's another interesting angle of the Formula One narrative.

"We are very motivated by having equaled the Ferrari all-time record of five consecutive double championships and there's a sixth one that is there."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.