Credits: IMAGO / IPA Sport
Having recently launched their 2024 livery, Mercedes garnered a lot of attention for being one of the best-looking cars of this season. There have been significant changes to the design to mark the 90th anniversary of the Silver Arrows. The official website of Mercedes quoted Toto Wolff as he provided details about specific components of the car.
Black has become the go-to color for Mercedes as they continue to support the Black Lives Matter initiative. But Silver remains their most iconic shade. Given the same, Wolff explained his team wanted to mix the colors as an ode to their past and present.
As such, the nose section of the car is predominantly silver. While weight reduction was an important factor for the team, staying true to their identity was of equal importance for Mercedes.
The three-pointed stars remain on the car alongside the INEOS and Petronas branding. The stars cover the engine bay while Petronas takes over the sidepod and frontside of the wings.
Meanwhile, the red-colored INEOS branding remains on the roll hoop of the car, giving it a distinct identity. While a permanent red star would feature on every Mercedes car in honor of Niki Lauda, the red on the roll hoop paid further tribute to the legend.
However, controversy arose with Mercedes addressing the same as “Toto Rosso.” While fans loved the inclusion of red, they aren’t very happy with Wolff’s linkage with it. For the fans, the design concept acted as an homage to Lauda, who mostly wore a red cap. As such, there is an air of outrage on social media around the same.
Fans unhappy with the Toto Wolff’s design connection on the Mercedes car
After realizing the red on the car was officially called ‘Toto Rosso,’ fans took to Twitter (now X) to express their disagreement. For them, it acted as a disrespect towards Lauda, who was a critical aspect of the team until his demise.
A couple of fans claimed Toto Wolff was “going insane” after losing Hamilton to Ferrari.
Meanwhile, another joked Wolff would be ‘red’ from anger after seeing Hamilton thrive with Ferrari.
Fans are already disappointed with the team’s performance in the last two seasons. Under the circumstances, another controversy will only add to their problems.
With Lewis Hamilton leaving the team in 2025, Mercedes will have to do some serious damage control to ensure a major chunk of their fans remains loyal. Actions such as this one would certainly not help the Brackley-based team’s cause.
