P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has rejected the idea that the F1 cost cap is what prevented his team from fighting for championships in the recent ground effects era.
In a recent statement, Toto Wolff refuted the idea that Mercedes could have recovered from their initial setbacks during the current ground effects era in Formula 1 without the cost cap in place.
Mercedes faced challenges at the start of the previous regulations cycle and chose the ultimately unsuccessful no-pods concept for the 2022 F1 season, putting them at a disadvantage.
Their controversial design was quickly deemed flawed by competitors who had already moved past similar ideas, leaving Mercedes lagging behind.
It wasn’t until a year and a half later, after George Russell’s first grand prix victory, that Mercedes acknowledged the flaws in their approach.
Despite the cost cap’s aims to level the playing field and control spending, it hindered Mercedes’ ability to make significant gains before it was introduced in 2021.
Wolff stressed that without the cost cap, an arms race between teams with similar financial resources would likely have ensued, potentially leading to the same outcome.
The cap, initially set at $145 million and later reduced to $135 million, did allow for shifts in the pecking order among F1 teams, though not as much as could have been possible before.
