Mercedes and Red Bull like two boxers 'exchanging blows' - Wolff
Mercedes and Red Bull like two boxers 'exchanging blows' - Wolff
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has likened his team's 2021 F1 title fight with Red Bull as being akin to two boxers slugging it out in the middle of a ring.
Mercedes and Red Bull went toe to toe throughout the 22 grands prix, with the former going on to claim an eighth consecutive constructors' championship.
The manufacturer, though, controversially missed out on another drivers' title on the final lap of the last race in Abu Dhabi, with Max Verstappen winning his maiden crown.
Assessing the differences between the two teams, speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Wolff said: "It's hard for me to judge how Red Bull is set up internally.
"Our strength is our attitude and the values we always adhere to. Maybe we can solve problems faster and better because we always take the approach of 'What did we do wrong?'"
Ferrari made mistakes - Wolff
As to why it was only a two-horse battle between Mercedes and Red Bull and why Ferrari failed to make it a three-way fight, Wolff added: "With the Ferrari, the power came from the engine.
"We knew we could beat them if we managed to make up for the deficit on the straights. Ferrari also made more mistakes.
"With Red Bull, it was an open exchange of blows, like two boxers taking turns trading punches."
Wolff has refused to blame Hamilton's defeat on what he has described as an "epidemic" of problems with the power unit.
Mercedes, along with customer teams Aston Martin, McLaren and Williams, were all forced to take additional systems over the second half of the season.
"We didn't lose the championship because of the engine, but it's true we had problems for the first time in eight years," remarked Wolff.
"At first, it only affected a component from a bad production run. This developed into an epidemic in which the engines lost more power over the period than they used to."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- 1 hour ago
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- 5 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 driver role CONFIRMED for 2025
- 26 minutes ago
F1 team set to axe BOTH star drivers
- 59 minutes ago
Red Bull to lose F1 MVP as true cost of Horner saga hits
- 3 hours ago
F1 pundit reveals the thing about Wolff that ANNOYS Horner
- 3 hours ago
Related news
Newey exit DATE revealed as Red Bull F1 chief set to leave
Mercedes star tipped to replace struggling driver THIS season
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
Red Bull already sending parts to F1 race MONTHS away
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