Toto Wolff insists Mercedes will be ‘careful’ NOT to make the same mistakes as Ferrari and Red Bull

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has insisted that his team will not make the same mistakes as Red Bull and Ferrari by ensuring they remain competitive next season.

Ferrari dominated the early 2000s with Michael Schumacher bagging five championships in that time frame, as he became one of the top F1 drivers.

The last title they won was back in 2007 and have failed to win a title in the last 15 years while Red Bull became the top force in F1 with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insisted they will not make the same mistakes as Red Bull and Ferrari

Red Bull had to wait eight years for another title when Max Verstappen won controversially in Abu Dhabi to deny Lewis Hamilton an eighth title.

Wolff, however, was questioned on Mercedes’ suffering similar fates after seeing a record-breaking run of eight straight championships come to an end. 

Wolff told Sky Sports: ‘Of course we are talking about it, we are analysing what are the reasons the teams that dominated in the past suddenly lost performance?’

Mercedes’ record-breaking run of eight straight championships came to a halt this campaign

‘You can see with Ferrari, they lost the whole top leadership and a key driver… I think that’s something you can trace back.

‘With Red Bull, it was a fundamental situation that the power unit regulation changed upside down, and no works deal. So fundamental parameters changed.

‘We are looking at that and thinking… we better be careful. A season has gone by in a heartbeat and we can’t let it happen to look back at the end of next season and the one after, saying ‘that’s bitter’.’

Wolff added: ‘We have the same organisation, the same capability, the same funding. The other pillars are still in place.’

Mercedes endured a miserable season, picking up just one win all season, the team’s lowest total since 2012.

George Russell finished on top of the podium in Brazil for their only win of the season, although both Russell and Hamilton became more competitive later in the season once they had made some upgrades.

George Russell (pictured) finished top of the podium in Brazil for Mercedes only race win

Wolff strongly believes Mercedes will bounce back in the 2023 season after Red Bull dominated during 2022 with a huge 205 point victory. 

‘There’s no fear, but we need to be sharp,’ Wolff added.

‘I’m a glass half-empty man. I’m not sure at all we can bounce back to a position where we can fight for championships.

‘You need to acknowledge that the competition is strong but we will do everything in our power to set our objectives and try to beat them.’