Toto Wolff: Mercedes boss cancels plan to skip Japanese GP amid team’s poor

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had initially planned to miss the Japanese Grand Prix; Mercedes have made a hugely disappointing start to the 2024 F1 season; watch every session of the Japanese GP on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event with the race at 6am on Sunday

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff will attend this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix after altering his plans to miss the event.

It was widely reported after last month’s Australian Grand Prix that Wolff would be absent in Suzuka as part of a planned schedule established before the start of the 24-race season.

However, Mercedes have confirmed that the Austrian will now be present at the fourth round of the campaign, from which every session is live on Sky Sports F1.

Wolff’s change of schedule comes after a hugely disappointing start to the season for the Silver Arrows.

A double DNF in Australia last time out left Mercedes fourth in the constructors’ standings and 72 points behind Red Bull, with Ferrari only four points back from the leaders.

With the sport’s calendar having reached a record 24 rounds, teams have begun to rotate personnel at events to protect their well-being.

Along with being team principal, Wolff is also chief executive of the F1 team along with being director of Mercedes motorsport, leaving him with additional responsibilities away from the track that the majority of his counterparts would not share.

The 52-year-old is understood to maintain a fluid schedule that allows for changes during the season.

After seeing both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell retire from the race in Melbourne, Wolff said it was “fair” to question his position as team principal.

The Australian Grand Prix marked one of the lowest points in Wolff’s tenure as Mercedes’ lack of pace was compounded by an engine failure for Hamilton and late crash for Russell.

“As a corner of this business, I need to be sure that my contribution is positive and accretive,” Wolff said in Melbourne.

“I would be the first one to say, if someone has a better idea, tell me, because I’m interested to turn this team around as quickly as possible. And I’ll happily give my input and see what that would be or who that could be.”