Toto Wolff admits that Mercedes zero sidepod interpretation of the 2022 rules overhaul remains his biggest ever mistake.

Coming off the back of eight successive constructors' titles, it was widely assumed that the German team would be on top of the aero rules overhaul of 2022.

However, almost from the first day of testing it became clear that the (suitably designated) W13 had a problem, as "porpoising" was introduced to the F1 lexicon.

The team battled throughout the season and gradually came back into play, indeed George Russell secured victory in the penultimate race, the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Amazingly, rather than drop the zero sidepod concept for 2023 the team stuck with it, if only for the opening five races, and though the revised W14 was more competitive than its predecessor it was still no match for the Red Bull.

"The W13 was my biggest mistake in recent years," Wolff admits to BILD. "We took the wrong approach to building the car for the 2022 season, it wasn't the correct path.

"Confirming this concept in 2023 was the second big mistake," he adds, "but I defend this decision, given that we had won in Brazil.

"Every team would have considered that weekend as a starting point for the new season. More than half of the team was convinced that the situation was improving."

Finishing the season 451 points adrift of its biggest rival, Christian Horner having famously given Wolff short shrift by advising the Austrian to "fix your f****** car then", the Mercedes boss admits that the situation put his management skills to the test.

"Criticizing the team in front of the media is part of a balancing act that I haven't always managed to master perfectly," he says. "Many employees are motivated when they see an ambitious boss, but sometimes I cross the line. I have to take chamomile tea before interviews to calm down.

"If I have been too harsh, on Monday I go back to the factory and apologise. This is also part of good leadership."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 03/01/2024 1:48

"Since when does stating the bleeding obvious cross the barrier and become 'courageous'? "

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2. Posted by Defiant, 02/01/2024 23:54

"I agree Wokingchap, but it's not quite as courageous as it would have been if he'd said it 2 years ago. Its pretty much an obvious observation even a casual fan could pick up on at this point."

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3. Posted by Wokingchap, 02/01/2024 11:31

"It would be courageous of other teams to admit their huge mistakes too."

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Wolff admits to "biggest mistake"

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