Ambitious Wolff faces toughest decision as title races fall away
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff during the Monaco Grand Prix
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A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
It's not been a F1 season with a potential title in the cards for Mercedes, what with McLaren and Red Bull being the top contenders consistently and Mercedes' performance falling away. Now Toto Wolff reveals whether the German outfit will continue to develop the W16 or if they'll focus fully on 2026.
With four podiums in the first six rounds of the championship, Mercedes' performance was certainly in a stronger shape than in the years before since the implementation of the current ground-effect rules.
The cornerstone to their season has always been qualifying, with their temperature dependance and their rear tyre overheating often biting back at their potential results during the races and moving them further down the order.
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Mercedes doesn't care about anything other than P1
Now Mercedes faces a tough decision: write off the 2025 F1 season altogether, or continue developing the W16? After all they are P2 in the Constructors' standings, albeit 172 points adrift from championship leaders McLaren.
"We don't care," said Wolff to media present at Monaco, including GPblog. "You know, we are P2 [in the standings], [and] basically [fighting] between P2 and P4. We're all in the same bundle of points."
"I don't sleep better if I'm P2 or P4. It's about every single race's performance, learning the tyres, taking the developments on this car that are relevant for next year and understanding that better rather than just the position in the championship."
"You rarely talk about P2 in the Constructors' Championship, nor in the drivers, so I'm not looking at that," concluded the Austrian.
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