TOTO WOLFF has a massive job on his hands – and one that will ultimately determine his F1 legacy.
The Austrian was unapologetic in his condemnation of this season’s Mercedes car following Lewis Hamilton’s eighth-place finish in Sao Paulo while George Russell retired from the race.
After all, this was the race the team had won last year and was supposed to signal their upward development curve after decent performances in Austin and Mexico City.
There was no sugarcoating this miserable performance and Wolff was left sounding like a broken record as he again said “We’ve got to develop that better for next year”.
He added: “There is something fundamentally wrong mechanically. It’s not a rear wing and it’s not the car being slightly too high. Because we are talking a millimetre or two.
“That is performance but it is not the explanation for a total off-weekend.”
The problem is however, we don’t know if he is capable of leading the team’s resurrection so that they can again challenge for championships.
If we look back when Wolff joined Mercedes from Williams, he did so alongside Niki Lauda, the three-time F1 world champion who commanded so much respect.
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It is also worth noting that Wolff also inherited the bulk of the team from Ross Brawn – who had turned his £1 purchase from Honda to world champions in 2009.
It is all very well being praised for your management skills during the good times and the periods of domination, as Wolff was, but it requires another skill set to turn things around when they go bad.
That’s something Brawn had done, and too Christian Horner at Red Bull, who after the success of Mercedes, has overseen his team become the dominant force once again.
Under Wolff’s watch, Mercedes have lost several key personnel, such as engine chief Andy Cowell, who have not been sufficiently replaced.
They have lurched from bad design to bad design and while it is not Wolff in the aerodynamics department, he is ultimately the boss and the buck stops with him.
Ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, he was quizzed about Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover at Manchester United, with Wolff making positive noises about joining him.
I just wonder whether that could be the Austrian’s next play?
Rumour has it he was in Brazil only by virtue of missing two races earlier after undergoing a knee operation and felt that he needed to attend to show face.
He has already spoken about reducing his attendance at races for next season, which will see a record 24 races.
It all makes me wonder if he has the appetite – and the ability – to turn the slump around.
