Toto Wolff, known for his characteristic wit, weighed in on the Verstappen-Russell incident: “He looked like a taxi driver in Rome or Naples!”
A fourth place for George Russell and a DNF for Kimi Antonelli – it was a weekend of mixed fortunes for Mercedes. Team principal Toto Wolff, however, didn’t miss the chance to joke about what happened on track on Sky Sport F1.
Toto Wolff’s Words
“At first, I didn’t really understand what had happened between Max and George. I watched the footage several times – Max came out of Turn 4 without any throttle, and I thought maybe there was a technical issue with the car. Then George passed him, and Max suddenly shut the door… it looked like a case of ‘road rage’ – just like you see in city traffic, with taxi drivers in Rome or Naples! Although to be fair, things have improved in Italy – even Milan is better now. But in some places, like downtown Naples or Rome, there’s still a lot of tension on the roads. It’s like there are no rules out there.”
“Anyway, going back to the incident – I want to understand what really happened. Because if Max reacted out of anger, that’s not something we should accept. “, Wolff continued more seriously.
“I assumed Max was on hard tyres and George was on softs. Maybe Max let him through on purpose, knowing he had less traction, and then tried to dive back on the inside at the hairpin – but he misjudged the braking and hit him “, explains Ivan Capelli.
Wolff responded: “That could be what happened. But we need to look at the telemetry and hear what Max says.”
On the Safety Car and Antonelli’s retirement
“Unfortunately for us, the race really lit up because of a technical issue on Kimi Antonelli’s car – an engine failure. It’s nothing to be too worried about for now, but it is a bit strange. Our engines are known for their reliability, proven over the years we’ve been competitive. We’ll need to analyze what went wrong, especially since Kimi said it felt like an explosion – like there was an actual hole in the engine.”
“Unfortunately for us, the race really lit up because of a technical issue on Kimi Antonelli’s car – an engine failure. It’s nothing to be too worried about for now, but it is a bit strange. Our engines are known for their reliability, proven over the years we’ve been competitive. We’ll need to analyze what went wrong, especially since Kimi said it felt like an explosion – like there was an actual hole in the engine. Kimi’s trajectory is good. Expectations need to be kept in check, but so far, everything is going in the right direction.”
And finally, a tease: “Russell’s contract renewal? I’ll tell you next time…”
Photo: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team