Mercedes has experienced ups and downs ever since the introduction of the ground-effect era, and Toto Wolff faces a new era in 2025 as Lewis Hamilton heads to Ferrari F1.
In 2022, they scored a single victory with George Russell in Brazil.
The 2023 season passed by without a victory for the Brackley-based outfit.
This season, the margins between the front-runners have become smaller, with the latest updates, track characteristics, and conditions determining which team will be ahead that weekend.
This sparked a temporary return to former glory when Lewis Hamilton took victory at Silverstone and Spa. However, the Briton struggled to get the most out of his Mercedes on several occasions this season, particularly in Qualifying.
In a recent chat with Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane author Matt Whyman, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that “everyone has a shelf life,“, where he discussed Lewis Hamilton.
The comment sparked controversy as many considered this to refer to Hamilton’s ability declining.
Ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Austrian clarified that statement when speaking on BBC Radio 4. Wolff noted that it was a general assessment everyone faces as they age, and not just about Lewis Hamilton in F1.
“That was taken a little bit out of context.
“What I was referring to is that all of us, we age, and whether it’s in the car, on a pitch, or as a manager and entrepreneur, you have to, and this is what I’m trying to do with myself, understand am I going from great to good.
“Because good is not in Formula 1 anymore.
“Now, contrary to my own self-assessment, I think we see with Lewis that he’s very much there when the car is right. And we haven’t been able to give him that car for him to perform best and that is a frustration that we equally have in the team and for himself.
“But he’s very sharp. He’s different to when he was a 20-year-old, that’s certainly clear. His experience and his race craft is tremendous.”
Lewis Hamilton will enter his last three race weekends for Mercedes before moving to Ferrari for the upcoming 2025 campaign.
