Wolff will now not be present in the garage at the Suzuka International Circuit. However, this decision was pre-planned ahead of the season and is not linked to Mercedes’ dismal start to the year.
This will be the second successive season that the Austrian has been absent from the Japanese GP. Wolff missed the races in Suzuka and Qatar in 2023 after undergoing knee surgery.
The eight-time world champions have endured a nightmare start to the season and are only marginally ahead of Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship standings ahead of the fourth round of the campaign in Japan.
Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix was a particularly low point for the team with Lewis Hamilton suffering an engine failure on lap 17 and George Russell crashing out of the race on the final lap.
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