Toto Wolff reverses decision to miss Japan GP

Toto Wolff has reversed his decision to bypass the upcoming Japanese GP.

Over recent years, with the Formula 1 schedule expanding significantly, the Mercedes leader had started avoiding certain distant races, including those in Suzuka and Qatar.

However, with the team's continuous struggle to deliver a competitive vehicle for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who is set to join Ferrari, Wolff has decided to forgo his planned absence.

Wolff now also acknowledges that his direct evaluation of their performance, often seen as overly pessimistic, should be adjusted.

"An Austrian says 'That's pretty sh*t'," Wolff has been cited in global media outlets. "A Brit would say 'That's challenging'."

"So I have to adapt my way of communicating so as not to put more pressure on the team. The fact that we are not competitive has nothing to do with a lack of effort," Wolff remarked.

He praised Russell and Hamilton for their resilience amid adversity, particularly noting Russell's dramatic crash in Melbourne's final moments and Hamilton's engine failure in the same event.

"Lewis is as good as you can be," Wolff commented. "On one side it's super frustrating to see that we are not there, and then he looks over the fence (at Ferrari) and it's pretty good what's happening there."

"But that is not his main priority today, and George is just a fighter and is digging in. He knows this is his place and we've got to sort this out."

Mario Andretti, the 1978 world champion, has also shared his insights on Mercedes' current situation and Russell's noticeable higher performance.

"In his career," he spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport, "Lewis often had cars in which he could win. He didn't have to get the most out of it, so he made few mistakes."

"George had to constantly fight at Williams because the car was not competitive," Andretti continued. "When he joined Mercedes, he thought he was in paradise but now you see that he has to fight for his position again and again. That's why he's standing out against his teammate."

"It will be interesting to see what Lewis will do at Ferrari," the 84-year-old observed, "as his great wish is to end his career there."