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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently brushed off Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff's dim outlook on the 2024 F1 season.
Mercedes started the 2024 season on the back foot as they struggled to keep up with other top teams like Red Bull, Ferrari, and even McLaren. After the infamous 2021 F1 season and new technical regulations in 2022, the Silver Arrows were unable to find the right car concept to stay at the top of the grid.
Due to Mercedes' slow start, team boss Toto Wolff had a pessimistic view on the rest of the season, stating that his team won't be able to catch Red Bull.
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Responding to this statement, the Red Bull team principal told the media in Japan that Wolff was giving up on the 2024 F1 season too early. Horner slyly added that he has stopped listening to what Wolff says.
“It’s very early to write off your year, there’s still 20 races to go. I’ve learned not to listen too much to what Toto says over the years,” Horner said.
Toto Wolff claims Mercedes cannot catch Red Bull in the 2024 F1 season
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had a gloomy attitude when he talked about how the rest of the 2024 F1 season was going to pan out for his team. As quoted by ESPN, he initially claimed that no team would be able to catch Max Verstappen in 2024.
He praised the defending world champion for his consistent performances.
"No one is going to catch Max this year. His driving and the car are just spectacular. You can see the way he manages the tires and basically, this season now is best of the rest," Wolff said.
Later on, Wolff set realistic goals for Mercedes, stating that they would try to close the gap to Ferrari and McLaren and fight for second place in the constructors' championship.
"That's the fact, that is all but hopefully we can catch up to the McLarens and to the Ferraris and fight for P2. This is what it is this year and what it was last year and we had a P2 last year," he added.
Mercedes are currently fourth in the constructors' championship with only 34 points after the Japanese GP. While McLaren is third with 69 points, Ferrari is second with 120 points. Red Bull is leading the pack with 141 points.
