Tokyo

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has conceded that the 2024 season was already decided with Max Verstappen set to retain his world champion crown, despite 20 races still left on the calendar. Wolff said the Red Bull driver cannot be caught after he raced to a dominant victory at Suzuka during the Japanese Grand Prix. 

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Verstappen started the race from pole and took an unassailable lead, before finishing the race more than 12 seconds clear of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.   

“No one is going to catch Max this year. His driving and the car are just spectacular. You can see the way he manages the tyres and basically this season now is best of the rest," Wolff said.

"That’s the fact, that is all, but hopefully we can catch up to the McLarens and to the Ferraris and fight for P2. This is what it is this year and what is was last year and we had a P2 last year," he added. 

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P2 is realistic target

While Red Bull were dominant, Mercedes struggled as George Russell finished seventh, followed by Lewis Hamilton in the ninth spot. Wolff said his team had accepted the reality and that challenging for P2 was the target.   

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“If I was to look from a pure ­sporting point of view it is P1 which matters, not P2, P3 or P4, but this is the reality that we are facing at the moment. We’re trying to do the best out of this new reality and that is to beat our competitors whilst acknowledging that somebody is just doing a better job and setting the benchmark that we eventually need to set ourselves again," said Wolff.

Ever since the new racing regulations were introduced in 2022, Mercedes have struggled to put out a comparative car that can challenge Verstappen and Red Bull's domination. Wolff has indicated that Mercedes were considering the next main regulation change of 2026 as the opportunity to catch Red Bull. 

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However, the challenge for the German team has only increased after Hamilton announced he was set to leave the team after the end of the season to join Ferrari.

Mercedes are yet to announce Hamilton's replacement but Wolff has been in talks with former four-time champion Sebastian Vettel over a potential comeback. 

(With inputs from agencies)