Team principal ‘silly season’ is underway, with shock announcements coming out of Formula 1 teams on a seemingly daily basis over the winter break.
Mattia Binotto was publicly defended by Ferrari, only to resign days later and Fred Vasseur has now left Alfa Romeo to replace the Swiss as team principal of the Scuderia.
Andreas Seidl then left McLaren out of nowhere to join Alfa Romeo, but took up a role as CEO of Sauber rather than team principal, leaving the team to continue their hunt for a Vasseur replacement.
Finally, as if there had not been enough shocks already, Jost Capito announced that he would be leaving Williams at the end of the year completely out of the blue.
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With unexpected announcements from teams being ever present on social media this week, Mercedes have decided to join in and make light of the situation by comedically trolling their fans.
The Mercedes official Twitter account posted a photo of team principal Toto Wolff alongside a caption that in first viewing looks like it could be news about the Austrian parting ways with the Silver Arrows, however upon reading the post fans will realise that they have been tricked.
“BREAKING: We’ve got nothing to announce, so here’s a photo of the boss,” said the Tweet, making fans of the Silver Arrow’s hearts skip a beat.
“Well played @MercedesAMGF1,” replied one Twitter user, who clearly appreciated the team’s efforts to crack a joke amidst the hectic dealings of the winter break.
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“Love it… a bit of consistency in an ever changing sport,” replied another.
Despite the Tweet, Mercedes did have something to announce this week, as Mick Schumacher has now officially signed with the team as a reserve driver for 2023 following his departure from Haas.
Toto Wolff has suggested that Schumacher will benefit massively from his year with Mercedes, as he believes that the German will gain experience and learn from some of the best in the sport as he hunts for a return to the grid in 2024.