Mercedes Boss Retires W14 Concept Ahead Of Bahrain GP While Questioning Aston Martin

Toto Wolff has questions about how Aston Martin have been able to create a successful car despite it sharing parts with Mercedes.

It's been a year in the making, but finally, Toto Wolff has admitted that the Mercedes zero-pod concept isn't worth development. But now he's also turned his attention to Aston Martin, who have just shown how potent their car is in Bahrain's qualifying session yesterday. 

Mercedes struggled with porpoising and other performance issues last year, and while they thought they'd cracked it ahead of 2023, it turns out they very much hadn't. George Russell qualified 6th and 7th respectively yesterday and, while they're feeling optimistic ahead of the race, there's no doubt they'll find this season difficult again. 

But Wolff is confused as to why this can be, as Aston Martin shares a number of parts with the Mercedes.

"I don't believe this package will ultimately be competitive," Toto admits. "We did our best during the winter, but now we need to regroup."

Wolff continues, adding that he does believe his drivers can reach podiums from the get-go, but in the medium and long term, he doesn't believe the car has legs.

"I'm confident that we can win races this season, but we need to consider the medium and long term," he said.

He continued:

"Aston Martin's car is partially ours.

"They've gained two seconds in just six months, and their car is partially ours, using our engine, gearbox, and rear suspension, as well as the same wind tunnel. There are many similarities, and we must recognize that they have done an excellent job."