Toto Wolff continues to bid for getting Adrian Newey not 'Messiah'

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has acknowledged that no Formula 1 team would dismiss the possibility of hiring Adrian Newey. The legendary car designer will become available in early 2025. Newey, renowned as the greatest F1 car designer, will be leaving Red Bull after nearly two decades. During this period, he played a pivotal role in their 13 world championships.

Speculation has been rife about Newey’s next move, with top teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Williams being potential destinations. When asked about Mercedes’ interest in Newey, Wolff was candid in his response to Sky Sports F1: “No team can discount Adrian Newey. But he needs to fit into the organization and he needs to want it. So, I think, you’ve got to always look at opportunities. It’s not like, today, we are waiting for a messiah.”

Wolff’s comments suggest a pragmatic approach to team-building and a focus on systemic improvements rather than relying on a single individual for a turnaround. He reflected on some strategic missteps Mercedes took ahead of the 2022 regulation changes. He also acknowledged the impact of those decisions but also emphasised the positive strides the team has made since then.

“Formula 1 is about physics”, says Toto Wolff

Wolff admitted that some decisions taken in 2021 by Mercedes were not optimal. However, he highlighted the team’s subsequent structural changes, including personnel shifts and more disciplined organizational practices, as key factors in their recent progress.

“Formula 1 is about physics,” Toto Wolff explained. “An engineer would say ‘It is simple, change the physics of the car’. But the truth is that humans make decisions. We have remedied that. We have changed the structure - people left, people joined. We have diligence in how our meetings are organized. This is the main reason we have made a step forward.”

Wolff also underscored the value of learning from failures, noting that challenging times have been crucial for the team’s development. “The days you lose are the days that your competitors regret because you learn the most. It was bad, at times, but important to develop the team into the next phase.”