Toto Wolff so hell-bent on trying to polish a turd he became oblivious to Mercedes woes with 2023 F1 season already dead

IT only took Toto Wolff one qualifying session before he wrote off this season’s Mercedes car – but the big question is, why did it take him so long.

Wolff was remarkably honest when told us in the paddock on Saturday night that they would be forced to abandon this year’s design philosophy after just one-hour of competitive track action.

It was a miserable start to the season for Toto Wolff and Lewis HamiltonRex

The concept, which runs deeper than what we can see on the surface, such as zero sidepods, is of course the most visual difference to their quicker rivals Red Bull and Aston Martin.

Wolff has enjoyed a good ride at the top of the sport since replacing Ross Brawn as head of the team.

He is a bright guy and those who work under him hail him as a brilliant leader.

So how have Mercedes ended up with yet another dud after the bouncing monstrosity of last year last, which resulted in Lewis Hamilton going winless for the first time in his F1 career?

The reality is, Mercedes probably don’t know the complete answer – we can only suggest the reason why they pigheadedly stuck with a flawed design.

There is an argument (a very small one it has to be said) to suggest they were right to stick with it.

After all, George Russell did win a race in Brazil and Mercedes were able to make vast improvements to beat Ferrari in the points scored in the second half of the season.

However, it is more likely Wolff was caught out by being so loyal to his team of designers not to challenge their decision not to copy Red Bull’s design, which was obviously the quickest car and exactly what Aston Martin have done.

One team boss called it “engineering pride”, the ideal they were so hell-bent on trying to polish a turd that they became oblivious to the messy consequences.

Thirdly, and perhaps somewhat alarming when we are assessing the strength of the team – which has been subjected to a brain-drain, with staff departing for rival teams, Wolff claimed they had actually hit all the performance targets they had set themselves in the winter.

Following on, and perhaps fourthly, those targets had been not only too conservative compared to their rivals but also hints that the preoccupation to cure the aforementioned bouncing had been the main priority.

But at least they have cured that.

However, if we can get past the fact that under Wolff’s watch Mercedes have served up two bad cars in succession (the other perspective is that Red Bull and Aston Martin have simply done better), we do have to appreciate his willingness to cut his losses.

Another paddock source who is close to Wolff now expects to see wholesale changes with the Mercedes design and hinted that it won’t be long before it is looking similar to a Red Bull.

The problem for Wolff, Mercedes, Hamilton and Russell is that it will come about 12 months too late.

Are you Fer real?

FOR the first time in 16 years it looks as though Fernando Alonso has finally made the right move in his career.

After picking Ferrari, McLaren and then Alpine – all at the wrong time as it coincided with a team’s slump, he looks to have made a smart switch to Aston Martin, who look to be able to offer him a competitive car this season.

Red Bull blow

THE sight of Red Bull’s former chief operating officer Jayne Poole walking in the paddock with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was one of the iconic moments of the weekend.

The image would have escaped the majority but Poole’s defection to Merc is huge.

She was Christian Horner’s closest confidant at Red Bull.

I have had a couple of former employees reach out to me to express just how bigger a loss she will be.

Poole had actually left Red Bull in the winter, but the Milton Keynes-based team never expected her to take a role at their biggest rivals.

As one source told me, “she knows everything about that team; wages, cost-cap details, so many secrets”.

She will work at Mercedes as a senior advisor, passing on everything she knows – much to Red Bull’s frustration.

Taking the Pias

OSCAR PIASTRI was given a sarcastic welcome in the paddock by mechanics from his former team, Alpine.

As the Aussie, who joined McLaren after a bitter tug-of-war with Alpine, had to walk by the garage of his former team-mates, who waved and said: “Hi Oscar, remember us?”

Not gone yet

I KNEW he could not help himself.

After promising to take a backseat, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem was back and centre stage once again.

He has been dogged by controversy in his 14 months since taking the job and had promised to hand over the day-to-day running of F1.

But there he was on Sunday, on the podium, handing out a new medal to Max Verstappen.

Feel the Bern

BERNIE ECCLESTONE was back in the F1 paddock he had controlled for 40 years – but only thanks to his missus.

He might have run the sport but the 92-year-old is not on the best terms with the sport’s current owners, Liberty Media.

Instead, he was given his paddock pass by his wife, Fabiana, who is an FIA vice-president and member of the World Motor Sport Council and invited him as her guest.