Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claims “everything has been done to stop us” with Formula 1’s new rules in 2022.
All-new cars, a budget cap, restrictions on windtunnel time, they are just some of the changes being introduced as part of a sweeping overhaul aimed at increasing competition following two decades where three teams have dominated in different periods.
For Mercedes, their era began after the introduction of hybrid engines in 2014 and it is still going strong today.
Unsurprisingly then, Wolff is keen to ensure it continues into the future even if it feels like the world is against them.
“Next year will be a transitional year with the same machines,” he said. “As I’ve said before, I expect Honda to give it a big push, and then obviously this big challenge of 2022 is on the doorstep. That will motivate us.
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“Everything has been done to stop us. We will all fight on a level playing field financially and everything is pretty much capped.
“I’d like to see us continue to perform well, even through this most dramatic regulatory change that has ever happened in F1.”
Teams like Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and Racing Point are all eyeing the rule changes as their best opportunity to fight at the front of the grid.
Meanwhile, Mercedes’ nearest challengers Red Bull find themselves in a state of flux after Honda’s decision to withdraw at the end of next year.
Even so, Wolff is sure that, should the team get their wish and take the Japanese manufacturer’s engine in-house, they will stay competitive.
“Red Bull is not only a racing team, and a very successful racing team, but also an engineering company,” said the Austrian.
“It seems Honda has done a good job in bringing updates to the power unit. There is some good stuff in the pipeline and they will still be around next year, giving it all to be successful in the Championship.
“That’s why I think Red Bull can be successful in running the Honda IP and developing the Honda IP.
“But then, in the mid-term, we will innovate, all of us, to work on a new engine concept that could be introduced as early as 2024 or 2025. That’s where the attention of all of us will shift.”
As for what role Wolff himself will play by 2022, that is still being discussed between himself and Mercedes.
“My situation is a little bit different because I’m a co-owner with Mercedes of the team, so I’m never going to abandon it, because it’s just what I love to do,” he told Sky Sports.
“What’s better than to be part of a sports team, to be part of such a fantastic gang of people?
“What I said is that I believe everybody has a shelf life in a role. I haven’t come to the end of mine, I think I can still contribute.
“But I need to think about the future also going forward. Bringing somebody up, developing him doing this role, is something that is a fantastic challenge for me that will be one of the next chapters. But you will see me around for a while.”