Toto Wolff warns Mercedes can’t bank on another Las Vegas GP runaway

21:00, 16 Nov

byNorberto Mujica

Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff's wish to keep the cars exactly as they were during the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix was evidently impossible to grant, thus expectations are severely tempered for the 2025 edition of the race.

"I don't want to set our expectations based on last year's result because we've been beaten before."

- Toto Wolff.

Toto Wolff refuses to go into Las Vegas with expectations of a repeat. Photo: Race Pictures

In the 2024 Las Vegas GP, Mercedes clinched pole - and woul've locked out the front row had it not been for Lewis Hamilton's mistakes in qualifying - and then capped off the weekend with a superior performance that carried George Russell to a lights-to-flag win, with Hamilton escorting his teammate after executing a P10 to P2 comeback under the Las Vegas night.

However, such a result can't be expected to be replicated automatically when the traveling circus returns to Sin City.

After the race in Brazil Wolff said: "Well, you know, I've said let's just keep exactly the same car that we had last year. Let's not change it, but unfortunately that's not the case anymore.

russell-hamilton-mercedes-las-vergas-gp-f1

The W15 carried George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to a 1-2 finish in Las Vegas. Photo: RacePictures.

"So we've got to be very analytical of what is the car that we need for Las Vegas, what is the environment, and can we replicate the kind of performances.

"You know, I doubt it. We just need to go there open-minded. It's a new weekend, and hopefully we're able to perform well."

Unpredictability prevents Wolff from making prediction

Will the Las Vegas GP be the last chance Mercedes have of clinching a win before F1 premieres the new regulations? Highlighting the large degree of unpredictability that has governed the current regulations, he argued expectations couldn't be built on last year's results.

He continued: "Well, I would have said Silverstone is a great opportunity. Montreal, we did [capitalise on] one, but Silverstone not at all, and Spa, which was not at all [a repeat of last year's success].

"So I don't want to set our expectations based on last year's result because we've been beaten before.

"Here in Brazil, for example, we dominated one year, the next one was nowhere. So I think I'm really looking forward to hit the ground running in Las Vegas in 10 days and then see what we can do there," Wolff concluded.

Wolff poised to sell stake at Mercedes: New shareholder revealed

Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to sell a 5% portion of his one-third stake in the team. The deal reportedly values Mercedes at $6 billion, surpassing McLaren’s previously cited $4.6 billion valuation. Wolff will remain part-owner, team principal, and CEO; no leadership changes are involved, Mercedes told GPblog.

The then-unnamed buyer - who would join Wolff, Ineos and Mercedes as shareholders - has now been revealed it's long-time Mercedes F1 partner CrowdStrike. Read the full story here.

GPblog's F1 Paddock Update: Don't miss the scoop

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.