In the opinion of F1 veteran Hans-Joachim Stuck, Toto Wolff might not have been as secure in his role if he managed a different leading team. With Mercedes clearly trailing in the performance race for the 2024 season yet again after just three grands prix so far, Wolff, speaking from Melbourne last weekend, conceded that the debate regarding his future is "fair".

"I look at myself in the mirror every single day about everything I do so it is a fair question," Wolff mentioned at the time. "But that is not what I feel that I should do at the moment."

Stuck, an F1 contender in the '70s and a multiple victor at Le Mans in the '80s, believes Wolff's position would likely have been more precarious at a team like Red Bull or Ferrari. "Mercedes is again simply not at the level of Red Bull and Ferrari," the 73-year-old explained to Eurosport Germany.

"It's probably an advantage for him that he's a co-owner," Stuck observed, alluding to Wolff's stake in the team, which he shares equally with Mercedes-Benz and Ineos. "If it was a pure Mercedes team, I'm not sure he wouldn't have been replaced already."

Yet, it's not just Wolff's role that Stuck thinks is under threat. "To put it bluntly, the chief designer should be replaced," he declared. "The idea generators in development simply lack the right approach."

Amid this critique, Wolff will be absent from the upcoming race in Japan, maintaining his pattern of missing several long-haul races in recent years. Wolff has openly and harshly critiqued Mercedes' current setbacks recently, indicating now to Kronen Zeitung newspaper the need for a strategic pivot in his approach. "We Austrians wear our hearts on our sleeves," he stated, "and say things very directly. So I have to adapt the way I communicate so as not to create more pressure."