Mercedes finds a semblance of competitiveness in Hungary, but it is still far from the performance we were used to in the early part of the year. The Canadian GP, in which Russell took victory and Antonelli obtained third place, seems like a distant memory. George remained more or less constant, but his teammate Kimi, if we don't consider Montreal's third place for a moment, only conquered one point from the Miami GP (in which he came sixth).
It is difficult to trace the origin of the car problem. The Stuttgart company, from the Imola GP to this part, has constantly introduced innovations to the single-sitter. Events without upgrades since then are rare (Monaco, Great Britain and Hungary). However, in a recent statement reported by ‘Formula1.com’, it appears that Mercedes was able to trace the problem by attributing it to the rear axle: “What's new? They will end up in a bin” said team principal Toto Wolff.
It takes strength to admit the mistake and just as much to get back up. To regain competitiveness, the Stuttgart company abandoned the innovations to recover the package adopted well before May. It takes courage to retrace your steps, but this is not the strength we want to talk to you about today.
Unassailable Mercedes, thanks to its great strength
The real strength of the Mercedes team is to take responsibility by doing it in a way in which it is completely unassailable by the press. Over the past weekend there has been a lot of talk about the decision made by Wolff and his team. The team has also been compared to the Ferrari. The question that arose ‘Sky Sport Italia’ was: “What would the press have said if Ferrari had made this mistake?”
It would probably have been the theme of the next few months. However, we can analyze the reasons why, in the case of the German team, there was only talk of a bold choice without criticism. We believe the reason is quite simple and obvious: Wolff has always declared with extreme simplicity what he was turning like clockwork and has always analyzed the problems that would have taken time to solve.
Toto Wolff never set deadlines, only long-term goals, peppered with so much hard work. Although in the 2022 - 2025 regulation era his team was never, under any circumstances, the absolute benchmark of F1, Wolff was always honest. And when you bring your heart in front of the cameras, it then becomes difficult to criticize every aspect. If we then add that we are talking about a team that has obtained 8 constructors' titles and 7 drivers' titles in the last 12 years, we also understand how we can be magnanimous towards them in some situations.
Their strength, however, we reiterate, is sincerity. Virtue which also gives Mercedes, in return, the strength and courage to make mistakes and admit her mistakes. Being able to lead a team with these values makes you unbeatable, perhaps above all, when you don't have the chance to prove it on the track.
Read in the original language (Italian): Mercedes, la forza di sbagliare
Photo: Mercedes
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