Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff spoke about how the expenses after Valtteri Bottas’ crash at Imola are going to affect the team’s limited budget for this year.
The implementation of the cost cap into F1 is affecting top-tier teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull. Conversely, these teams are known to spend an immense fortune behind the development of their cars.
George Russell of Williams Racing F1 blames Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes AMG F1 for the massive crash at the Autodrome Enzo e Dino Ferrari on Sunday, April 18, 2021.
At the Emilia Romagna GP, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas had a disastrous crash with Williams’ George Russell. As a result, the Mercedes (77) W12 received major damages hence, it requires several refurbishing and repairing jobs before it returns to the circuits.
However, the challenge for the Brackley-based team is the expenses they need to bear for fixing Bottas’ damaged car. This will affect the budget they had saved from the cost cap for further developments in 2021. Team Principal, Wolff reported, “We are very stretched on a cost cap, and what we always feared is a total write-off of a car. This one is not going to be a total write-off, but almost, and that is not something we really wanted.”
What is Toto Wolff planning for Mercedes in 2021?
Mercedes had a poor start in the 2021 season, failing to make a mark at the pre-season testing and qualifying in Bahrain. Further, they had a tough time against their rival Red Bull, who is the fastest of the current season.
However, Silver Arrows’ Lewis Hamilton won the season-opener in Shakir. The Germans might not have the fastest car but they got strategies to match up the pace with Red Bull. The German team again showcased the capability of their car and strategies finishing at P2 with Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton driving his Mercedes (44) W12 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, April 18, 2021.
With each passing race, Red Bull cars will get better because of further upgrades. Therefore, the Brackley-based can’t only depend on strategies but need to improve their car. Therefore, the 49-year-old boss needs to look for ways to continue the development for both their single-seaters throughout 2021. As their original budget for development will decrease because of the Imola accident.
Mercedes F1 is gearing up for the upcoming third Grand Prix at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on May 02. We might expect another neck-to-neck battle between the German and the Austrian F1 teams.
