Lewis Hamilton boss makes decision on sacking Mercedes staff after another winless year
Lewis Hamilton will be relying on Mercedes improving their car
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Toto Wolff won't be making drastic changes behind the scenes at Mercedes as he backs his current staff to close the gap to Red Bull heading into 2024.
Mercedes had enjoyed eight years at the top of F1 with Hamilton taking full advantage of that dominant era.
But they were unable to carry that over into the new regulations from the 2022 campaign with Red Bull taking over the mantle as F1's top team.
The Silver Arrows have tried and failed with two different cars to compete with Max Verstappen with the W14 even further adrift of the Dutchman.
Toto Wolff is happy with the team at his disposal
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That's put pressure on the Mercedes garage to get it right heading into 2024, but Wolff won't be wielding the axe behind the scenes to kick them into gear.
“This is something we have been instilling in the organization straight from 2013,” Wolff stated.
“We blame the problem and not the person. We are a safe environment, nobody got fired because of non-performance. We always find solutions.
“If a department doesn't perform, it's my fault. Because then I haven't provided the right framework or wasn't part of hiring the right people.
“It makes no sense to blame someone who's not doing good enough because everybody is trying their best.
“This is the mindset we have in the organization. So no blame culture, we stuck to it, which I'm very proud of.
”And Wolff has no plans of his own to step back at Mercedes any time soon.
When asked whether he had considered resigning, Wolff added: “No, I don't.
“Because I still think that I can contribute to the team in my area of expertise.
“And that is, I think, keeping it together, although I'm very emotional sometimes.
Toto Wolff has no plans to step down
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"But they know me so well, that I have these difficult moments on Sunday night. I can contribute.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t found someone where I would say: 'I think that person has more energy, more drive, more skill and all of these factors that I believe are important to be a Team Principal'.”
Mercedes were able to pip Ferrari to second in the Constructors' Championship with Hamilton finished as the best-of-the-rest behind Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the drivers' standings.
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But Hamilton is now without a race win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and will be relying on Mercedes making significant upgrades for the 2024 campaign.
Red Bull will be seen as the strong favourites at the start of the year, but Mercedes are signalling their quiet optimism about a closer fight.
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