Mercedes' Toto Wolff has explained that he has had to tone down direct communication methods for fear of increasing internal pressure.
Mercedes is going through a tough rebuilding period in the era of ground effects regulations, and Toto Wolff has said he needs to change his communication style with staff.
Toto Wolff: “You just have to keep believing''
Mercedes currently sit fourth in the constructors' championship, having picked up 26 points from the past three race weekends. Mercedes' customer Aston Martin is just one point behind, and another customer McLaren is 29 points behind, so the start to the season hasn't been particularly strong.
The team has opted to start a new design direction for 2024 and the W15 looks to have a lot of potential, especially with Lewis Hamilton experimenting with the set-up in his garage. Therefore, its potential has not yet been fully unleashed. name of the game.
Wolff has been candid about the trials and tribulations facing Mercedes as it searches for a new car, saying the team still doesn't fully understand some of the car's behavior.
Wolff also admitted he “wanted to beat ourselves up” over the W15's inconsistent performance, but said a quick turnaround could be possible if the team focused on the car's sweet spot.
“If you do it right, you can tell about a turnaround pretty quickly. You just have to keep believing,” he said.
But while the struggles continue, Wolff said his management approach has been one of patience and understanding, and that now is not the time to vent frustration or anger at individuals on the team.
Wolff said that his personality is very outspoken, but he holds it back for fear of “destroying” the team.
“As Austrians, we take care of our hearts. And we say things very directly,” he said after mechanical failure of Hamilton's car and George Russell's crash. Speaking to Australian media after the team went home scoreless in Melbourne.
“An Austrian would say, 'That's really crap,' and a British person would say, 'That's interesting.'
“So we had to change the way we communicate to not put more pressure on the team, because that would break the team.”
“The reason we're not competitive isn't because we don't try hard enough. So instead of saying, 'That's interesting,' we want to be helpful and encourage each other.”
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Toto Wolff hopes the experiment will continue
With Mercedes not as close to the front in Australia as they have been in the past two races, Wolff said set-up experimentation would continue until more performance was revealed and a better understanding of the car was gained.
“I think we’re at a point where we probably need to experiment with all races,” Wolff said.
“It’s not just Friday, because our performance looks like it’s going to get worse all weekend.
“Friday was good and Saturday was also good in some sessions, but the more grip you get, the more you hit the ceiling of the car's performance, but the data shows that's not the case.” ”
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