Toto Wolff conceded that Mercedes’ 2022 car and its ill-fated zero-sidepod concept represent unsurprisingly his biggest mistake in his years at the helm of the Brackley squad.
Mercedes' reign as Formula 1's dominant force was brought to an abrupt halt in 2022, as the team struggled to adapt to the new aerodynamic regulations introduced that season.
The outfit’s radical "zero-sidepod" concept was an ambitious attempt to gain an edge over its rivals at the start of F1’s ground-effect era. It proved to be a costly misstep.
The bold approach relied on creating a more efficient airflow path to the rear of the car, which would generate more downforce and improve cornering speeds.
However, the design proved to be too complex and difficult to manage, leading to a number of problems, not the least of which was the car’s chronic and disruptive porpoising phenomenon that made it very difficult for the drivers to control.
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Despite its troubles, Mercedes opted to carry the concept into 2023, spurred on by George Russell’s dominant win with W13 at the end-of-season Brazilian GP.
As the man with whom the buck stopped on the team, Wolff owned up to his outfit’s blunder. But he nevertheless defended the decision to stick with the car’s flawed design for 2023.
©Mercedes
“The W13 was my biggest mistake in recent years,” Wolff told BILD. “We took the wrong approach to building the car for the 2022 season, it wasn’t the correct path.
“Confirming this concept in 2023 was the second big mistake, but I defend this decision, given that we had won in Brazil.
“Every team would have considered that weekend as a starting point for the new season. More than half of the team was convinced that the situation was improving.”
Unable to fix or improve its car’s problems, Mercedes opted to finally abandon its zero-sidepod development after five races, the German outfit fielding a revamped W14 at the 2023 Monaco GP.
Mercedes enjoyed significant progress in the remainder of the season and finished runner-up in the championship behind Red Bull. It nevertheless concluded its campaign without a single win to its name.
Wolff admitted that at times last year, he “crossed the line” when he publicly vented his frustration with his team’s shortfall.
“Criticizing the team in front of the media is part of a balancing act that I haven’t always managed to master perfectly,” the Austrian explained.
“Many employees are motivated when they see an ambitious boss, but sometimes I cross the line. I have to take chamomile tea before interviews to calm down.
“If I have been too harsh, on Monday I go back to the factory and apologise. This is also part of good leadership.”
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