Mercedes

Coulthard slates Wolff 'kick in the whatnots' Mercedes concept criticism

Sam Hall Tuesday 7 March 2023 17:05

Coulthard slates Wolff 'kick in the whatnots' Mercedes concept criticism

Former F1 race winner David Coulthard has questioned where Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is coming from with his "brutal" criticism of the W14.

Mercedes finished fifth and seventh at the Bahrain Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton finishing 50 seconds off victor Max Verstappen at the chequered flag.

This margin of defeat caused Wolff to declare that Mercedes had 'got it wrong' by sticking with its zeropod concept and order 'radical changes' from the team.

Speaking to Channel 4, Coulthard said: “I think it was brutal.

“This car has only been alive for six days, a few days of testing, three days here. I don’t know where he’s coming from with that.

“But yeah, they’ve got a completely different strategy with the sidepods. They clearly have to try and follow the pack now. But that is like a big kick in the whatnots for the design team.”

Mercedes 'not as bad' as advertised

Wolff had already begun to question Mercedes' philosophy after qualifying with Hamilton and Russell lining up sixth and seventh.

Despite the chasm separating the team from Red Bull, Coulthard maintained there are still reasons for Mercedes to be optimistic for the season.

“Relative to being defined as best of the rest, potentially they are (fine).

"Okay, (Charles) Leclerc didn’t finish but it’s not as bad as he sort of stated after qualifying.”

READ MORE: March's key F1 diary dates

Latest News

Las Vegas Grand Prix

Verstappen delivers BRUTAL clapback at rival F1 chief live on air

16 minutes ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

F1 star facing FIA punishment after ‘oh my f***ing god’ rant

1 hour ago

F1 Off The Track

Hamilton handed SHOCK result after Las Vegas loss

2 hours ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

Hamilton and Verstappen hit with DELETED laps at Las Vegas Grand Prix

3 hours ago

Latest F1 News

F1 star in BRUTAL X-RATED tirade at Las Vegas Grand Prix

Today 09:42

Las Vegas Grand Prix

F1 Results Today: Mercedes take STUNNING 1-2 as Verstappen crowned champion at Las Vegas Grand Prix

Today 08:27

More news

F1 Race Calendar 2024

GP AUSTRIA 28 - 30 Jun

George Russell

GP GREAT BRITAIN 5 - 7 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP HUNGARY 19 - 21 Jul

Oscar Piastri

GP BELGIUM 26 - 28 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP NETHERLANDS 23 - 25 Aug

Lando Norris

GP ITALY 30 Aug - 1 Sep

Charles Leclerc

GP AZERBAIJAN 13 - 15 Sep

Oscar Piastri

GP SINGAPORE 20 - 22 Sep

Lando Norris

GP USA 18 - 20 Oct

Charles Leclerc

GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct

GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec

GP ABU DHABI 6 - 8 Dec

Complete kalender 2024

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY