Formula 1 is a sport where frustration can mount up pretty quickly. When Mercedes started the 2023 season on the back foot yet again, Toto Wolff‘s frustration got the better of him as he shifted the blame for the car’s poor performance onto his team. And now he’s been called out for that yet again. In a recent podcast conversation, F1 legend and expert Eddie Jordan accused Wolff of arrogance and poor decision-making that ruined the championship dreams of Lewis Hamilton.

The disappointment began at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where Mercedes, hoping for a resurgence after a disappointing 2022, found themselves slipping to fourth place behind Aston Martin. Having slipped behind a customer team was a big blow for the Brackley-based team. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, despite their best efforts, had to settle for fifth and seventh positions. The setback was a continuation from the previous season, hinting at deeper issues within the team.

Eddie Jordan shows faith in Lewis Hamilton as he calls our Toto Wolff’s arrogance

Lewis Hamilton had been concerned from the very start. Even during pre-season testing at Silverstone in February, he sensed the shortcomings of the car. Frustration grew around the fact that the design team did not implement the requested changes. And Bahrain was just proof of Hamilton’s fears. Although Mercedes managed to retain the second position in the constructors’ championship, 2023 marked the team’s first winless season since 2011. Lewis Hamilton himself admitted to moments where he started doubting himself as the season progressed.

The only highlight of the season for Mercedes was Hamilton’s pole position in the Hungarian Grand Prix. A result that came after a dry spell of 33 races. For a driver who had 103 pole positions in the bag, those 33 races would have felt like a long time coming. Formula 1 experts Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard recently looked back at the 2023 season in a conversation on the ‘Formula For Success’ podcast.

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When asked to reflect on Lewis’s season, Eddie Jordan said, “We know how good 7 times world champion Lewis Hamilton is and was and will continue to be I hope. But I think the car was poor. I just think that there was a touch of arrogance from Toto at the beginning of the year. I am glad to see he toned down from that because I took a call to question when he said, ‘The engineers have got it wrong’ whereas I said, listen you’re the CEO of the company, you’re ultimately responsible… The words you should have said in my opinion Toto is, ‘We got it wrong’ because he is a huge part of that team.”

Jordan remains hopeful that Lewis Hamilton still is a championship-level driver. “People are not talking about Mercedes like what they used to. They’re not looking at them as title contenders next year, are they? But I think we could be making a mistake there because I think Lewis still has it in him to be a world champion again. That’s what I believe.“

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Amidst the challenges faced by Mercedes, the 38-year-old took a creative approach to uplift the spirits at the team’s factories in Brackley and Brixworth.

Hamilton used the fall of Red Bull to motivate Mercedes

Over the past 14 years, Mercedes and Red Bull have been involved in a fierce battle. Red Bull started with 4 back-to-back constructors’ championships. Then Mercedes took over and got 8 championships back-to-back. In 2021, things broke even with Mercedes taking the constructors’ title and Red Bull taking the driver’s title. However, the implementation of ground effect regulations in 2022 tilted the scales in favor of Red Bull in the last 2 seasons.

Recently, Hamilton, along with Toto Wolff and Mick Schumacher, embarked on a visit to the factories for a year-end motivation session. The gesture aimed to acknowledge the team’s relentless development efforts and boost morale after a winless 2023 season. In a video clip recently shared on the Mercedes F1 YouTube channel, Hamilton expressed gratitude for the team’s hard work and dedication, stating, “I’m so grateful for all the development that goes on back here. You guys are the ones that keep us going. You’re the ones that keep us inspired and pushing us along.”

The Brit cleverly used the occasion to inject positivity into the atmosphere, leveraging their rivalry with Red Bull. He motivated the factory personnel, saying, “I know, when we do get back there, I just think it’s going to feel so much greater to knock those guys at the top.“

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Can Mercedes come back next year to reclaim the top spot in F1 from their nemesis, Red Bull? Share your predictions down below in the comments.