Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has always believed that meritocracy is rewarded in F1, something which makes him love the sport. Hence, even though his arch-rivals Red Bull are currently dominating, the Austrian has nothing but respect for them. Wolff believes that the Milton Keynes outfit has been so dominant solely because of how well they have worked harder and now the onus lies on the other teams to catch up. However, star driver Lewis Hamilton does not seem to agree with his boss.
With Red Bull currently dominating, Hamilton has constantly urged the FIA to amend the rules to limit their domination. The Briton has often explained how one single team dominating F1 for so many years isn’t good for the sport.
With that in mind, Hamilton also made some interesting suggestions to the FIA. While speaking to Sky Sports during the Austrian GP weekend, the 38-year-old said, “I think the FIA should probably put a time when everyone is allowed to start developing on the next year’s car“.
Hamilton believes that this idea would be helpful as then, no team will get an advantage in the future. However, Wolff does not seem to agree to his way of thinking as he believes that teams that have done a good job deserve to be rewarded for it.
Toto Wolff snubs Lewis Hamilton and promotes meritocracy
While speaking to the media after the recently concluded Hungarian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff once again praised Red Bull. He began by explaining how the Milton Keynes-based outfit and Max Verstappen made the rest of the field look like Formula 2 cars.
After Wolff praised Verstappen for winning his ninth race of the 2023 season, the interviewers asked him if he believes that the Dutchman’s domination is bad for the sport. In reply, the Austrian said (as quoted by pitdebrief.com), “As I said before it’s a meritocracy, as long as you’re moving within the regulations, then you have overall done a better job, and we just need to acknowledge it“.
Wolff then went on to explain that he has no complains regarding Red Bull’s recent domination as his side also enjoyed a similar spell during the turbo hybrid era (2014-21). Throughout this period of time, the Silver Arrows won a record eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships, with Lewis Hamilton winning six of his seven Drivers’ Championships.
Considering Wolff’s remarks, it seems that he is giving Red Bull the credit where it is due, and that he has not forgotten about his own team’s domination. Hamilton, meanwhile, does not feel the same way and according to former drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya, the 38-year-old is a “hypocrite“.
Montoya slams Hamilton for hypocrisy
Juan Pablo Montoya expressed his shock on listening to Lewis Hamilton’s recent complaints as he slammed the Briton for ignoring his own period of dominance. While speaking recently on MyBettingSites (as quoted by racingnews365.nl), Montoya said, “If you look back at his period of dominance, was it him or was it the car? We were all happy for him when he dominated“.
And it is not just Montoya who called out Hamilton for hypocrisy but also reigning world champion Max Verstappen himself. In a conversation with Sky Sports earlier this year, the Dutchman explained how the focus was never on changing the rules when Hamilton was on top.
Hence, Verstappen does not see why Hamilton keeps complaining as he believes “that’s how Formula 1 works“. Now with Wolff also now seemingly siding with Red Bull when it comes to their unprecedented superiority, Hamilton may just need to start focusing on what his team can do rather than focus on bringing down others.
