Wolff delivers blunt ‘not good enough’ assessment of Mercedes costly race flaw

After securing his third consecutive pole position of the season, Kimi Antonelli once again lost positions off the line, with Charles Leclerc sweeping into the lead into Turn 1 at the Miami Grand Prix. Wolff stressed how unacceptable it is for the team to repeatedly give away places at the start.

The Mercedes team principal, who suggested the issue is a mix of both team and driver execution, said the situation must be urgently addressed, given how tightly packed the current Formula 1 grid is.

“I think today and yesterday was a team mistake. It’s just that we will know, it’s just not good enough. We’re not doing a good enough job in giving them a tool in their hands, whether it’s clutch or grip estimates. And we are the only ones who, let’s say, don’t get that right now for a few races. And we just have to dig even deeper and try to understand how we can fix that. Because I agree with you that the gaps are not big enough to cruise into the sunset. And therefore, you can’t be missing starts,” he said to GPblog.

This season, Mercedes’ launch struggles have also been influenced by Formula 1’s decision to remove the MGU-H from the current engine regulations, making turbo deployment more difficult for drivers at race starts. Despite winning all four races so far this season, Mercedes have still lost the lead on the opening lap in each of them.

Earlier, Wolff voiced his support behind calls to return F1 to V8 engines, but has warned the sport could "look ridiculous" in 2031 if it "loses connection to the real world." During the weekend in Miami, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem raised eyebrows by suggesting the "V8 is coming", possibly as early as 2030, even without the approval of PUMs.

Wolff, who responded to questions surrounding a return to V8s, expressed how delighted he would be with the sport making such a switch. So far, the Mercedes team appears to have been the biggest beneficiary of the current F1 regulations, clinching victory in all four races so far.

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