F1 | Wolff tells off Red Bull for post-British GP “personal” attacks: they were excessive
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff comes back to the controversial fight with the Milton Keynes- based team and their personal attacks and hopes to restore a healthy rivalry
After the accident that have happened between Verstappen and Hamilton during the British Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver received an amount of offences from angry Red Bull fans, who addressed him unpolite, unforgivable racist comments. Red Bull and Christian Horner himself on his personal Instagram profile condemned it, but Wolff thinks that they exaggerated too, even if they kept talking exclusively in race terms. Helmut Marko called Hamilton’s manoeuvre “reckless driving”, while Horner accused the Briton of driving “dirty”. The Verstappens themselves didn’t remain silent, with firstly Jos criticizing harshly Hamilton and secondly Max, who claimed that his opponent’s podium celebration were “disrespectful”, as he still was in the hospital checking his health conditions.
“I think you can understand that from a competitors' point of view, the situation was upsetting,- the Austrian told Motorsport.com. – I can understand that. Nevertheless, the language that was used, and making it so personal, was a level that we have not seen in this sport before.”
“I understand the bias on the crash itself and the emotions of a father, and I would probably be the same, but I would use different language.”- he added up, referring to Jos Verstappen's strong criticism.
The Pride of Britain 💪 🎨 x @TLdesignn pic.twitter.com/cQV9As9cqK
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 22, 2021
In the meantime, Red Bull is still evaluating if closing the incident comprehending Verstappen and Hamilton or to take it further, providing some new elements to the FIA attention. However, Wolff feels that the situation has calmed down and he hopes to restore a rivalry that can be sporty and healthy.
“I think once the emotions are down, we will try to restore our professional relationship for the sake of Formula 1, - said Wolff. - But beyond that, there were no discussions, and don't need to be.” Anwering to those who asked what Mercedes could do if Red Bull would decide to go further with the matter, he said : “This is Formula 1. None of that worries me.”
Let’s focus on the other accusation that Red Bull moved to Mercedes: the so-called “disrespectful” celebration of the podium, as it was told by Verstappen himself and the Milton Keynes-based team’s advisor Helmut Marko, with the latter also pointing out that the celebration showed the Silver Arrows’ “style”. Toto Wolff told Motorsport.com that they had previously received an indication from the FIA that the Dutch was all-clear.
“It's important to understand all the feedback that we received, – Wolff explained – We had the feedback from senior management of Red Bull that Max was fine. Christian [Horner] mentioned it to [F1 race director] Michael Masi on the intercom that he's unharmed and fine, and the FIA gave us similar feedback. So at no point would we have celebrated if Max would have been injured. And I think that's very important to understand."
