Mercedes "brutal transparency" key to learning from mistakes - Wolff
Mercedes "brutal transparency" key to learning from mistakes - Wolff
Toto Wolff has insisted a "brutal transparency" at Mercedes is key to how the team deals with adversity and will turn around its fortunes in F1.
Mercedes has been the dominant team in the sport since the introduction of V6 turbo-hybrid power units in 2014 and while there have been blips in this form along the way, the team has never been under as much pressure as it is this year.
Following the Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes lost the lead in both the drivers' and constructors' standings to Red Bull, the first time it had been knocked off the top of either table since the German Grand Prix in 2018.
A zero point return from the Azerbaijan race saw the team drop further behind Red Bull, with the margin in the constructors' championship now 26 points.
Speaking at an Oxford University talk regarding 'Leadership in Extraordinary Times', Wolff outlined how the team picks itself up and moves on.
"Brutal transparency within the organisation," he said. "We need to be able to learn from our mistakes because there are just two options.
"You make a mistake and you cover it up or you are not in a safe place to talk about it or utilise it as an opportunity to develop and learn.
"I have heard a sentence that when it stings it sticks. Painful moments in the races are the ones that make us progress the most.
"In that respect, every weekend is about brutal analysis of what is happening in the days after the weekend and then utilising those learnings for the next race to come and for the future development of every component in the car.
"So it comes back down to the culture of really being transparent with each other because we share the same objective, creating a safe environment and using the power of the collective intelligence if the people in order to solve the problems."
Mercedes debrief like a Williams session
Such is the inquest after each session across a races weekend, Wolff suggested the briefings sound like a bottom of the championship team, not like that of a championship-winning team.
"When you listen to a debrief today after a weekend where we finish first and second, you would think this is Williams debriefing from a weekend on a tenth place," he added.
"I don't mean that in an arrogant way, it is just a culture that is always sceptical and we always believe we are not good enough and have to stay on our toes in order to maintain our success and that starts with sometimes going where it hurts.
"They say that if you don't go there then you are not going to improve as an organisation and it needs to start with all of us leading the organisation."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton in Arsenal title wish after STUNNING revelation
- 20 minutes ago
F1 boss 'in early talks' to SELL 25 percent of team
- 1 hour ago
Will F1 hopeful Antonelli replace Sargeant from Imola?
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Hamilton dealt major Newey blow as Red Bull chief makes BRUTAL admission
- 3 hours ago
Schumacher reveals how Mercedes could snare Verstappen
- 3 hours ago
Red Bull chief in BRUTAL putdown of key F1 feature
- Today 10:59
Related news
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
Mercedes star tipped to replace struggling driver THIS season
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860