Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has described the deal between Mercedes and McLaren to supply the British racing team with engines until 2030 as ‘not the most intelligent choice’ of his life. When Wolff signed the contract with McLaren, the rival team was still in the midfield. Now, McLaren is leading in both championships, while Mercedes is still struggling to deliver consistent performances.
McLaren has been a customer team of Mercedes since 2021. The Silver Arrows were a dominant force in the Formula 1 field during the year of the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Therefore, it was an ‘easy’ decision for Toto Wolff to start supplying engines to McLaren. Even when Mercedes entered into a contract with McLaren in 2023 to supply power units until 2030, it was no problem for Wolff.
But now that McLaren has become the most dominant team on the Formula 1 grid, the Austrian team boss jokes that he does have some regrets about his decision. “Look at where McLaren was three, four years ago, when we signed the contract with them that they would be using our fast engines in the coming years,” Wolff tells Sky Italia. “Then they were 18th in the races and it was easy to make such a decision.”
Does Wolff Now Regret the McLaren Deal?
At the start of 2023, both McLaren drivers were still in the back of the pack, but that changed from the Austrian Grand Prix onwards, thanks to a significant upgrade package. McLaren now stands head and shoulders above the other teams in the constructors’ championship, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris leading the race for the drivers’ title.
“With hindsight, I’m not sure if it was the smartest decision of my life to make that deal with them,” Wolff jokes. “They have their engineering really sorted out, which is why they’re performing so incredibly well, especially in hot conditions.” However, the W16 from Mercedes performs better under cooler conditions. “That’s why we did well in Montreal,” adds the team boss. Yet, Mercedes still struggles with consistency. “Mercedes can fight for the win on one circuit, while they might be more than a minute behind the next weekend.”
