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Amid the American Glitz and Glamor, Toto Wolff Warns F1 to Safeguard One Crucial Aspect: “We Must Never Lose..”

Published Feb 20, 2023 | 5:15 AM EST

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via Reuters

There are numerous variables that have contributed to F1’s current success, which has led to the sport’s popularity skyrocketing. Sports have reached their zenith since Liberty Media inherited the F1 dynasty from Bernie Ecclestone. So what are those elements then? The F1 team took advantage of that and collaborated with Netflix to create a brand-new experience for the world. It made things clear that the American entertainment business was far too effective in its schemes as it brought “Drive to Survive” to the public and ultimately made the younger generation fall for it. The whole F1 community, including Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, is in agreement that the Netflix sensation has revitalized the sport. However, despite all the grandeur, the Austrian has advised the F1 to be cautious on a key issue.

Given his extensive experience in the industry, Toto Wolff is aware of the magic the American market can produce at the highest level of motorsport. Taking advantage of the series’ rising popularity, Liberty Media has added another American circuit, namely Las Vegas. The ‘sin city ‘ became the third F1 venue in America to host a Grand Prix following Austin and Miami.

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Wolff expressed appreciation for the popular docuseries and, as per the Nextgen auto, the Austrian said, “Formula 1 is growing more and more around the world. I think that’s the case because we offer good content. Good races, interesting personalities, and some controversies on and off the track. Drive to Survive has certainly played a role in this overall success.” 

However, with all the American glamor, the Mercedes boss doesn’t want Formula One to lose its sporting heritage. He further reminded the liberty media and FOM, stating, “What we need to do is continue to entertain, but always within the framework of sport. We must never lose the DNA of sport. Entertainment always follows sport, not the other way around.”

The Mercedes team had a number of problems up to the last few races, but after painstakingly working on their car, they finally achieved their first and only victory at the Brazilian GP. However a lot of things changed during the winter, and the Silver Arrows appear to be recovering more strongly this year. However, when Wolff was asked about the probability of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton‘s fierce battle, the Austrian gave an epic response.

Toto Wolff weighs in on the impending season’s race between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

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Mercedes hopes that their brand-new W-14 car will help them return to title contention this year after they failed to win it for the ninth year in a row. We witnessed a resurgent Mercedes as the season came to a close last year, and since then, many F1 experts and pundits have speculated that the Silver Arrows will pose the biggest threat to Red Bull. At the Red Bull car launch, the top Red Bull driver Max Verstappen also consented to this.

via Reuters

And at the Mercedes car launch event, in response to a question on Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s potential title showdown, Wolff commented, “We saw very positive comments from the other teams that we are going to be right there. But we need to prove that ourselves that we are taking the right decisions and I would like to have a fight in the front there, not only the top three teams but maybe one of the others can join us there. It would be good for Formula 1 and that’s what makes it so enjoyable.”

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The coming days are likely to be very eventful. Drive to Survive will premiere its fifth season amid preseason testing, while the F1 season will start one week later. Having said that, who do you predict will win this year’s championship?

Written by:

Aditya Srivastava

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Aditya Srivastava is an F1 Author at EssentiallySports. Although he has completed his undergrad in History, due to his passion for the field, he couldn't hold himself back from entering the world of Sports Journalism. Being a huge fan of Formula 1, Aditya has taken up multiple internships and freelancing gigs where he got to pen down his thoughts about the most prestigious form of motor racing in the world.
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Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai