X/Mercedes
Mercedes have returned to the top after years of struggle. The team that won eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships between 2014 and 2021 lost their advantage following the major rule changes in 2022. At times, Mercedes were only the fourth-fastest team. It took another rule change to bring them back to the front.
Between 2022 and 2025, Mercedes took the fewest wins of the four leading teams. That is a statistic we would have found incredible back in 2021. Ahead of the 2022 rule changes, technical director James Allison warned that some teams would misinterpret the new regulations. Those proved prophetic words, particularly for his own team.
Mercedes won seven Grands Prix in four years. By comparison, they have taken twelve victories this season alone. Those difficult times reportedly prompted deep reflection for Toto Wolff and meetings with Mercedes president Ola Källenius. “I’ve offered Ola [Källenius] my resignation several times over the past few years, but he’s always said: ‘You’ll keep doing this,’,” Wolff recalled at the Golden Steering Wheel awards in Berlin.
“The thing is, when you are in these difficult moments, like we all are sometimes in our lives, it’s not that easy to keep going. Because looking back in retrospect, you’re saying, ‘We needed these tough moments in order to grow as people or to grow as an organisation’. But when you’re down, that is quite difficult to feel,” the Mercedes boss continued.
“So looking back, I think those last four years were very difficult, between getting it wrong and then kind of understanding why it was wrong and then realising, no, we didn’t understand. And that was a big back and forth,” said Wolff.
It took a change in the regulations to lift the team out of the doldrums. In 2026, Mercedes showed why they are multiple world champions. History will remember 2022 to 2025 as an era of Red Bull success, but also of McLaren success. Many expected Mercedes to return to championship glory during that period, but the team had to wait until 2026.
“So it wasn’t that bad at all when you look at the sheer numbers, but it felt not good. And the resilience of the team – the people that held together in those tough times – is a factor,” said Wolff appreciatively.
“So it feels really good sealing those two titles. Not many sports teams have done that after a consecutive run of championships, then a difficult spell, and then coming back. So I’m really proud that we are part of this very small group of teams that have done that in all sports,” the Mercedes boss added.
