Toto Wolff had the luxury of sitting out watching his rivals celebrate their championship in Japan. Currently in rehab after undergoing surgery on his knee, the captain of the Mercedes ship has had a tough enough season to out behind him. Watching Red Bull rub it in his face is not something he needs to pile onto his problems. However, in updating OE24, Wolff reveals he intends to take the high road.
Additionally, Max Verstappen is poised to clinch his third title at Qatar. Once again, Wolff escapes the sounds of his enemies rejoicing and his recovery restricts him from making long journeys. However, Wolff looks forward to giving Verstappen and his team his best regards
Ethics over pride in Mercedes v Red Bull rivalry
Toto Wolff will be monitoring the Qatar GP from his home to keep an eye on his team and drivers. Thus as Verstappen makes his mark in history by culminating a painfully dominant season, Wolff will choose to simply drop a text to show his sportsmanship.
Explaining his approach to OE24, Wolff said, ” I congratulate on WhatsApp. With all the rivalry, you have to remain a fair sportsman. The car, the team, the driver – these are the benchmark, you can only congratulate.”
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Wolff has been appreciative of Red Bull’s performance even when Lewis Hamilton was advocating strongly against it. With his star player advocating a change of rules to slow down the unstoppable team, Wolff made it clear, “remember people crying foul when it was us. Entertainment follows sport and not the other way around. We cannot be WWE, scripted content. We don’t want to be scripted content.”
Thus, it’s no surprise Mercedes admits its defeat to Red Bull, who won fair and square. However, Wolff isn’t waving the white flag just yet.
Christian Horner worried about riled up Mercedes
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, delved into his own experience with title disappointments to extend a sympathetic hand to Toto Wolff. However, he anticipates that Wolff, with his team, is diligently strategizing to reignite the competition.
Speaking to SkySports, Horner opened up on this rivalry with Wolff, stating that F1 thrives on battles like this. Invigorating and entertaining, Horner believes that respect is as important as the fierce competition this dynamic breeds.
Thus, he worries about what Wolff has in store. “Obviously, we haven’t seen much of him in the last couple of years but I’m sure he is plotting. I’m sure he’s got something that they are working on, and they are a great team, they are a big team, they’ve got great drivers, they’ll be looking to fight back.”
If 2021 was anything to go by, the day of Mercedes’ resurgence to overthrow Red Bull would be what everyone has been waiting for.
