Japanese GP: Toto Wolff lacks support from Niki Lauda – Mercedes replaces new Ferrari

“Of course this is a tragedy that we can follow,” expert Christian Danner on “ServusTV” said about the current situation of Mercedes.

“Toto Wolff does not know what to say anymore,” insisted Danner, who above all does not understand the fact that after the most recent race in Suzuka the team boss tried to encourage after P7 and P9 in the race.

The Austrian told “Sky” that at least the final position was “very good” and that Mercedes had “made a step” in Japan. “It doesn’t show in the results, but I think the car is going faster,” said Wolff.

“When I heard that, I thought to myself, he must be looking at another Grand Prix,” said Danner, who at the same time defended Wolff and explained that as team boss he could not change much about the current situation.

“He has his own team that he has to get along with in some way,” stressed Danner and explained: “He has a team of technicians, a team of engineers, an air team that he has to rely on.” As team leader, Wolff is responsible for internal coordination.

“But the car is not made by the boss of the team,” Danner reminded, comparing it to Red Bull “Christian Horner can manage what he likes, the car works. And for Toto that is the problem at the moment say that too,” Danner says.

“You are lost,” believed the former Formula 1 driver and explained in this context that Mercedes and Wolff personally may be missing an important person. “What he misses the most, I keep saying, is Niki Lauda,” Danner said.

The Austrian, who died in 2019, could have supported Wolff and explained “what might need to be done,” Danner said. Instead, the expert put forward a theory: “Mercedes is the Ferrari of the 2024 season.”

Because the Scuderia itself has “moved forward”, while Mercedes now relies on extraordinary strategies out of sheer desperation, as has often been seen at Ferrari in the past. Danner specifically referred to the one-stop strategy tested at Suzuka.

“That was an act of desperation. And things like that show how desolate things are at this time,” stressed Danner and explained: “If I have a car that is not easy to drive and that is not very fast, then. I will do one strategy that sometimes it’s pure nonsense.”

“Why? Because at least I hope (…) maybe to give a ‘lucky punch’,” said Danner, who recalled: “That’s what Ferrari did last year and then they were thrown into the pot.” This year you can now see such things in Mercedes.

Ferrari made strategies that sometimes seemed surprising “carefully because there was no other way,” explained Danner. But while Ferrari is the second team behind Red Bull so far this year, Mercedes is currently only fourth in the World Cup.

And according to Danner, nothing will change quickly.