Toto Wolff has stated that his Mercedes team need to ‘get their acts together’ as they look to produce a 2024 challenger worthy of taking the fight to Red Bull. The Silver Arrows finished second in the 2023 Constructors’ Championship standings but were some way off challenging Christian Horner’s outfit.
George Russell’s podium finish at the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi ensured that Mercedes pipped Ferrari to second place by just three points, but the achievement of finishing best of the rest did little more than provide a distraction from the true gulf in pace at the top end of the standings.
Red Bull finished the campaign with 860 points, meaning they ended the season finale 451 points to the good on Mercedes. Worse still, Red Bull maintained a considerable gap to their rivals during the last race of the year, despite having turned their attention to the development of the RB19’s successor months prior.
Asked by Sky Sports whether or not Mercedes can produce a car capable of facing Red Bull by the end of the 2024 season, Wolff replied: “New season starts with a completely new car and that gives opportunities but also risks.
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“I think we’ve got to be realistic. We are aiming for the stars but we finished only second against a team that was out-performing everybody else.”
The Mercedes team principal was then asked whether one of Mercedes’ rivals will put Red Bull under pressure if they don’t, to which he responded: “I mean I’ve always said that this is a meritocracy and best driver and best car wins, and therefore we have to just get out act together, and I hope it’s us [that can fight Red Bull].”
If the Brackley-based team can work some winter magic and produce a car worthy of challenging Max Verstappen and Red Bull for regular race victories in 2024 then Wolff believes that Hamilton has a realistic shot at claiming his record-breaking eighth Drivers’ Championship crown.
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“If we are able to give him the car, then he will be fighting for a world championship,” Wolff explained after the final race of the season. “I have no doubt. It’s clear that when you have a Formula 1 car like we have now, you are never at ease with it.
“You have good weekends and bad weekends but at the end, every time when we have seen that Lewis has somebody in his target in front of him and it was about winning the race then the real Lewis comes alive. We just need to give him a car.”
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