Mercedes’ 8 F1 titles deemed 'not good enough' in the short term by boss after Max Verstappen demolishes grid with 19 wins

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff admitted that the team's performance last season was 'not good enough' in the short term perspective. The Silver Arrows went winless this past season and were handily beaten by the dominant Max Verstappen who claimed his third championship with a record 19 wins.

The German manufacturer has racked up eight championships in the past decade with Wolff at the helm. Its dominant run was ended by Red Bull in 2022, as the introduction of the ground effect regulations changed the pecking order. Since then, the Silver Arrows have stood third and second in the constructor's standings.

Reflecting on Mercedes' results over the past decade, Toto Wolff gave a philosophical take on how the team's success would look tremendous in a retrospective view.

“We have a board in our factory which shows all the constructors’ championships since 1958,” he told F1.com. “The table goes until 2050, and you have the logos, the badges for each of the years. There [are] 27 open, empty badges, and I would like to look back in 20 years and say, ‘There’s many more Mercedes stars.'"

“When you’re retrospective – and I hate retrospective views – but when we look back in 10 or 20 years and we consider that big, big decade it was: second, first, first, first, first, first, first, first, first, first, third, second.”

The Austrian also conceded that the team's results were not up to their high standards in the short term.

“When we look at it from that perspective, we kind of say, ‘That was okay.’ Now, from a micro view, there’s one guy that won 19 races [in 2023], so that is, of course, not good enough.”

The 2024 F1 season will be a pivotal year for the team in their journey to reclaim their lost glory and fight Red Bull for the championship.

---

Mercedes boss insists Lewis Hamilton would be fighting for the title with the right car

After missing out on his record eighth championship in 2021, Mercedes' downturn in form has resulted in Lewis Hamilton not winning a race in the past two seasons.

After failing to deliver a title-winning car for seven-time F1 champion, Toto Wolff insists his star driver is still capable of fighting for the championship with the right machinery beneath him.

“If we’re able to give him a car, then he would be fighting for a World Championship, I have no doubt. It’s clear that when you have a Formula 1 car like we have now, you’re never at ease with it – you have good weekends and bad weekends,” Wolff said.

“In the end, every time where we’ve seen that Lewis has someone in his target in front of him, and it was about winning the race, then the real Lewis comes alive and I think we just need to give him that [opportunity],” he added.

Heading into 2024, F1 fans are raring to see the veteran Mercedes driver chasing down rivals during 'hammer time'.