“We love this sport because it is honest” – Mercedes supremo Toto Wolff wants to work closely with the FIA this season to ensure major controversies are avoided.
The 2021 season ended on a controversial note, with Max Verstappen rightfully winning the Abu Dhabi GP and consequently wresting the world title from Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes vehemently protested this with the FIA, but to no avail. But team principal Toto Wolff has still not moved on from it, and has appealed to the FIA to work closely with the teams to ensure there is clarity and consistency with the rules.
“It is very deep. Lewis, I and the whole team are disillusioned. We love this sport because it is honest.
“The stopwatch never lies, but when we break the fundamental principle of fairness and the stopwatch is no longer relevant, then you doubt this sport. That all the work, blood, sweat and tears can be taken away from you. It will take a long time to digest that.
“I don’t think we’ll ever get over it, especially Lewis as a driver. We can at least try, together with the FIA, to do better in the future. I expect action and not just words. We can’t freestyle like this with the rulebook in a sport that is supposed to be sport.
“There has to be clarity about the rules before the start of the new season so that every driver, every team and every fan knows what is allowed and what is not. At the end of the day, we are providing entertainment, but no decision should break the rules for the sake of the show.”
Toto Wolff on Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton
The Austrian entrepreneur also spoke about the two title protaganists, and how are similar, or the lack of it. It will be fascinating to see which of the two comes out on top this year, considering Hamilton decides to continue in the sport.
“No, they are completely different guys. Max is as fast as an arrow, but he doesn’t have the experience yet. Lewis is driving at the peak of his ability.
“The two of them drove in a class of their own. At times, they were 40 to 45 seconds ahead of the third-placed driver.”
