‘It Wasn’t That Bad’: Toto Wolff Pushes Back Against Mercedes’ Winless Period Criticism

Toto Wolff has pushed back against criticism of Mercedes’ difficult four-year spell without a championship, insisting the team’s performance wasn’t as ‘bad’ as it might have looked. The Silver Arrows have dominated the 2026 F1 season by winning both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

The Mercedes team principal reflected on the team’s championship-less years and the resilience that helped it return to the top.

“So it wasn’t that bad at all when you look at the sheer numbers, but it felt not good,” Wolff said. “And the resilience of the team—the people that held together in those tough times—is a factor.”

Mercedes’s dominance ended during the previous ground-effect era. After winning eight consecutive constructors’ championships between 2014 and 2021, the team struggled to maintain its previous level of performance, as the Brackley outfit managed to secure only seven wins from 2022 to 2025, as compared to 12 wins in the current season.

Kimi Antonelli secured his maiden F1 title in Mexico, and one week later, Mercedes claimed its ninth constructors’ championship at the São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday.

Toto Wolff Insists Mercedes Were Not Complete Losers During Difficult Spell

Wolff explained that Mercedes’ struggles were not simply about losing races or championships.

“So looking back, I think those last four years were very difficult, between getting it wrong and then kind of understanding why it was wrong and then realizing, no, we didn’t understand. And that was a big back-and-forth,” Wolff shed light on the tough season.

“But we will be looking back in 10 or 20 years, and when you look at the statistics, it wasn’t that we were complete losers over those four years, because we finished [third, second, fourth, second successively]. We won races, many races.”

Toto Wolff and company finished third in the constructors’ championship in 2022, improved to second in 2023, and dropped to fourth in 2024 before returning to second in 2025.

Toto Wolff Opens Up on Mercedes’ Championship-Winning Comeback in 2026

Mercedes’ 2026 championship double has now brought an end to its wait for another title-winning campaign. For Wolff, returning to the top of F1 after such a prolonged period of difficulty makes the achievement even more meaningful.

“So it feels really good sealing those two titles. Not many sports teams have done that after a consecutive run of championships, then a difficult spell, and then coming back. So I’m really proud that we are part of this very small group of teams that have done that in all sports.”

Mercedes drivers Antonelli and George Russell finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at the Brazilian Grand Prix. With three rounds left in the season, Russell, who stands third, 17 points behind Max Verstappen, will look to finish the season in second place in the drivers’ standings.

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Written by

Yash Soni

Yash Soni is a Formula 1 writer with over four years of experience in digital sports journalism. He specializes in F1 news, race analysis, team updates, and paddock stories. With a strong focus on accuracy, research, and SEO-driven storytelling, he aims to deliver engaging and informative coverage that keeps motorsport fans up to date with the latest developments in Formula 1.

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