Schumacher sees 'absent' Wolff: 'Their drivers don't seem to care'

The weekend in Abu Dhabi began for Toto Wolff with a visit to the stewards. There he was allowed to explain his tirade during a press conference in Las Vegas. In the end, the Mercedes team principal got off with a formal warning. Yet it is notable that Wolff has had long toes lately, only to make a stricken impression at other times. Ralf Schumacher reacted to Wolff's apparent mood swings at German Sky.

The former F1 driver, whose nephew Mick is a reserve driver at Wolff's Mercedes, said, "Sometimes we have a Toto Wolff with an interview with us, in which he makes a bored or distraught impression; lately he even makes a very absent-minded impression."

'Mercedes is fairly rudderless'

Schumacher, meanwhile, is very worried about the Mercedes team. "I have a bit of a feeling that although the racing team will not fall apart immediately, it is fairly rudderless. And the two drivers don't seem to care at all either," the German told the sports channel.

The former Formula 1 winner is highly critical of George Russell. A year ago, the Briton finished above Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' championship. In 2023, the roles are reversed: Hamilton will finish the year third. "George can hardly control his nerves, he makes a lot of mistakes and drives very aggressively." In other words, according to Schumacher: "There is still a lot of work to do for Mercedes."

In Abu Dhabi, Mercedes will get one last chance to win a Grand Prix in 2023. Hamilton and Russell have not yet stood on the top step this season. If victories are not forthcoming, Hamilton would finish without victories for the second season in a row.