“How many actions to prevent an opponent from winning do we want to see in the future?”- Toto Wolff strikes again on Max Verstappen.
Toto Wolff is not over with his attacks on Max Verstappen’s alleged negligence in the collision with Lewis Hamilton and called it an act to prevent the opposite driver win a few days after calling it a tactical foul.
The Mercedes boss calls it a dangerous precedent to set in the motorsport and suggests that the two drivers can still fight but leave enough space for each other.
“The collision was avoided in one case and not in the other,” he told AutoHebdo. “There are stewards, they have spoken. These two boys are some of the very best and the real question is how many actions to prevent an opponent from winning do we want to see in the future?”
“You have to set a precedent so that everyone is well aware that the other is not preventing the other from scoring by simply ending their race. They can fight hard but still leave room to avoid an accident.
“Max had a very severe off at Silverstone and here Lewis was very lucky to have the Halo to protect him. I don’t know what would have happened a few years ago and I don’t even want to think about it because the consequences could have been terrible.”
If they had to crash, they could’ve crashed earlier
Wolff then jokes about the collision by claiming if they both had to crash, they could have done it initially, saving the engine’s kilometres.
“Lewis gave him plenty of room at Turn 4 on lap 1 to avoid a collision,” he said. “Looking back, it would have been better if the accident had happened at this time; which would have at least allowed us to put fewer kilometres to the engine.”
“When the situation turned around, when Max could have avoided contact by reacting the same as Lewis at Turn 4, he didn’t,” he added. Wolff also gave what can be done to de-intensify the situation.
“We have seen similar incidents in the past between two drivers fighting for the championship,” he said. “We have to find a “modus operandi” that will keep the confrontations under control, but that can only come from them.”
“Lewis and Max must find the right way to face each other. Until they find it, there will be trouble.”
