Source: REUTERS/Gintare Karpaviciute
[Saba Sports News] The recent rise of McLaren has left Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff feeling “bitterly amused.” As an engine supplier, Mercedes witnessed McLaren go from a mid-pack team to a leading contender. Recently, Wolff admitted in an interview that re-signing with McLaren might have been one of the worst decisions of his life. Records show that McLaren used Mercedes engines between 1995 and 2014, then switched to Honda but had poor results. In 2021, McLaren partnered with Mercedes again, initially with modest results, but quickly rose under the leadership of team principal Andrea Stella. From a mid-pack position in 2023, to a constructor championship in 2024, McLaren is now the strongest contender for both the constructor and driver titles in the 2025 season. Wolff admitted that McLaren’s rapid rise was due to the excellent match between its engineering team and the Mercedes engine, especially its strong performance in high temperatures. It is reported that this partnership has continued beyond the 2026 regulations and will likely last until at least 2030.