Rob Smedley shares how Toto Wolff’s media interviews show Mercedes downfall ‘hurts them’

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For a period in Formula 1 Mercedes was unstoppable, but since the introduction of ground effect cars in 2022 that dominance has shifted to Red Bull.

A winless 2023 confirmed that Mercedes was entering a period of decline, all while several senior members associated with their title success also left for new opportunities on the grid.

The most high profile of those exits is Lewis Hamilton, who will leave to join Ferrari in the 2025 season alongside Charles Leclerc, but several other key backroom staff will also take up work at rival teams including former Mercedes engines boss Andy Cowell at Aston Martin and James Vowles to Williams.

Team principal Toto Wolff has put a brave face on their struggles, but it is clear the last three seasons have been a struggle for one of the most successful teams in F1 history.

Former F1 engineer Rob Smedley believes you can visibly see how much of a toll their recent downfall has taken on Wolff during interviews when speaking on the Formula for Success podcast.

Toto Wolff visibly affected by Mercedes’ downfall according to Rob Smedley

Wolff is one of the few experienced heads still in the team alongside technical director James Allison, and the impact of their current frustrations is clear when he speaks to the media.

“They deserve to win and get those seven years of World Championships on the bounce because they were doing the best job. Then the car simply wasn’t good enough at the start of this new era of regulations and they really had to dig deep,” said Smedley.

“You can see that and you can see how much it hurts them. You see it, even if you don’t know these guys, in their media interviews. You see it in Toto’s media interviews

“If you know these guys personally, you can see how much it hurts them. You know, they just want to win and they just want to do everything they can to get back. So they’ve really like knuckled down, doubled down on what they needed to do.”

Mercedes plans ‘substantial’ upgrade for United States Grand Prix

While it looked like another difficult season at the start of the year, Mercedes’ fortunes changed when they made a breakthrough upgrade at the Canadian GP to their front wing.

This set them on a path to success during the European races, with both Hamilton and George Russell taking three victories out of the last four races before the summer break.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes AMG F1 Team from team principal to lineage

That success was shortlived however, with Mercedes seemingly encountering problems in the last two races that have ‘left them in the woods’ with the W15.

Allison has teased that a ‘substantial’ upgrade is planned for the US GP which should improve their understanding of their recent tyre problems.