Toto Wolff has no ill feelings against Red Bull and or the trio Helmut Marko, Christian Horner and Max Verstappen, as he reckons F1 2021 bound them stronger for future.
It wasn’t the smoothest of F1 seasons in 2021, whether on it or off it. While battles took place between the drivers on track, words flew from the mouths of the bosses with both Wolff and Horner taking centerstage in discussions and debates.
While Horner and or Marko took the limelight away with some of their hot takes, Wolff wasn’t far behind albeit a bit more diplomatic than his counterparts. Post Abu Dhabi, jibes flew from Red Bull side after Mercedes decided to protest against the results.
But Wolff didn’t take any offence to it. In fact, looking back the whole of 2021, the Mercedes chief reckons the happenings only bounced them stronger for the future. The Abu Dhabi race will linger on, but the Austrian reckons they have to learn from it than moan.
“The statements [after Abu Dhabi protest] at me certainly arose from the emotion,” said Wolff to media in an online call. “I can understand that when you have won the race and therefore the title, a protest can be frustrating. I have no bad word at all against Christian, Helmut, Red Bull or Max. They were worthy competitors this year.
“We fought like never before, on and off the track, but in the end they won the championship and that has to be acknowledged. I think that it also binds us stronger together in the future. Because we may have lost the championship with the Abu Dhabi decision, but Helmut, Christian and Max are racers and we saw what happened.
“And of course there are the explanations that similar things happened against them in the season. Maybe it balances out, maybe not. But just the one decision in Abu Dhabi was so brutal, the racer in them will recognise that. I know that. Together I think we can change the rules to make the decision making more conscious and that’s in the interest of us, Red Bull and all the other teams,” summed up Wolff.
Here’s how teams fared in tier system
Here’s the team bosses’ Top 10 list
Here’s Lewis Hamilton on being different in 2021 than 2016
Here’s Toto Wolff on F1 not doing things to spice up