Rival bosses Toto Wolff, Christian Horner take on Brazil, controversial rear wing and F1 rallies

LASAIL, Qatar – The battle for the Formula 1 title spilled out of the track and into the press room on Friday at the Qatar Grand Prix, as rival team principals Toto Wolff (Mercedes) and Christian Horner (Red Bull) have been fighting each other in a fight since before this weekend’s race.

The two team bosses touched on a number of topics, from Mercedes not asking for a review of the case between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in Brazil, to the strained personal relationship between the two.

We’ve rounded up the best from the 30-minute session, as well as analyzed what some of it could mean for the final three races.

On the Brazilian GP

Full verdict: FIA rejects Mercedes’ request to reconsider Verstappen-Hamilton

When Wolff and Horner spoke to the media, The FIA ​​makes the manager’s decision did not review the incident between Verstappen and Hamilton on lap 48 of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Mercedes believes Verstappen’s onboard camera footage, which was not provided to managers at the time, warrants a full investigation. But after the parties involved raised their case in a video conference on Thursday, managers decided the footage did not meet the criteria needed to open a full review of the case. .

Before the decision was announced, Wolff said his team did not expect managers to follow suit and issue a retrievable penalty against Verstappen, but instead wanted clarity on what was allowed against motor racing.

“Honestly, we don’t expect to gain anything from the right to review,” said Wolff. “It’s in principle and in philosophy, because if it stays that way, it means overtaking from the outside is no longer possible because it means the inside has complete cornering control.

“Now that’s true, but before when there was a car next to you, you needed to leave a space and now that’s not the case.

“So we just wanted to look to the end, evaluate on that and then adjust for the last few races if necessary and some drivers have actually expressed the same opinion, because So that’s why we make the managers look at it differently.”

Horner responded with a stark, if somewhat forced, comparison of Verstappen’s move outside of both Mercedes drivers in Mexico.

“I think, just referencing Toto’s comments about going through the outer ring and saying it’s impossible, I think Max has clearly demonstrated that it can happen in Mexico in the first round, ” I said.

When the managers’ decision was announced during the press conference, Horner said it was a step in the right direction for the sport.

“I think it’s clearly the right decision because it opens Pandora’s box in relation to a bunch of other incidents that happened at that race,” he said. “I think the most important thing right now is to focus on this big tournament, it’s great to be in Qatar, I think it will be a good circuit and we want a good, clean, fair game. only here but also in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi.”

Wolff added: “[The stewards’ decision was] fully expected. I think we want to trigger discussion around it because it will probably be a topic in the next few races and I think that goal has been achieved. We don’t really think it will go any further. “

About future protests

Based on comments from the press conference, Friday’s manager’s decision may not be the end to the off-track battle between Mercedes and Red Bull this year.

Another theme that has played out over the last few races has been Red Bull’s doubts about the versatility of the Mercedes rear wing. Horner pointed to his opponent’s impressive straight-line speed as evidence of something unusual on the car and revealed that his team’s senior engineers, Adrian Newey and Paul Monaghan, had questioned Ask the FIA ​​about what will and will not be considered legally building a case.

“Do I object? Yes,” said Horner. “If we believe that [Mercedes] Cars don’t comply, we’ll protest, because the speed on the straight road that we’ve seen in Mexico and Brazil – I think people can see in Brazil is not a normal situation.

“And yes, a new engine that we know of with a Mercedes comes with increased performance, but when you get the 27 km/h advantage and you witness the marks on the rear spoiler marked from the flexed wings, it was very clear to us what was and is going on.

“Of course, that’s why the FIA ​​has to make sure the cars are compliant. Otherwise, you’ll object if you believe a competitor isn’t following the rules.”

Wolff responded by saying that he believes his car is perfectly legal.

“I don’t think anyone is going to show up at the track with an illegal engine or an illegal rear wing, the world is too transparent about that and you’re going to be making decisions on a team that has visibility That high is illegal, 100%.” he say.

Horner added that his team will continue to monitor Mercedes’ rear wing as it considers the possibility of an outcry at one of the final three races.

“We will be monitoring the situation and it will really depend on what happens this weekend, what we see and the analysis that we have conducted,” he said. “So it really depends on what we see, and it doesn’t just apply here because I think it’s in many respects even more relevant to the two upcoming circuits.

“But as a competitor, as I’m sure Mercedes knows, we’ve been paying a lot of attention to our car throughout the season and obviously we’re doing the same. Obviously that’s the way it is. The stakes are high, there’s a lot to play and we just want to make sure it’s a level playing field.”

At the end of the press conference, Wolff appeared to invite a protest from his opponent.

“If you’re led by skepticism because someone told you something and you assume that’s the root cause, you should move on. [and protest],” he said.

“We were told we were driven 14 times on this very special rear wing, the FIA ​​had all the drawings on it and nothing like Red Bull expected it to be.

“So we’re happy to send it, cut it – I can send you one to [Red Bull’s factory in] Milton Keynes …”

At that point, Horner rammed in to say, “So how do you interpret the scores on the rear wing panels?”

Wolff replied: “I think it’s within the range, and so that’s okay.”

It is expected that increased scrutiny of Mercedes’ rear wing in Qatar – both its degree of flex and any “scorched” or stress marks appearing on its various parts. While Losail is a fast circuit, speed on a straight line will be a more important factor in the new street in Jeddah, meaning Red Bull could wait until Saudi Arabia pulls the trigger.

About their relationship

The rivalry between the two team bosses extends beyond the latest battles in the managers’ chambers to a much deeper rivalry that spans several years.

When asked where the bad feeling comes from, Wolff said: “I think the competition is too high. You can’t expect that you’re going to have dinner with your opponent or with the opposing team or your enemies in the game. that athletic competition, regardless of personality and characters.

“Everything else won’t be normal. It’s as simple as that. No negative emotions, no positive emotions, pretty neutral emotions.”

To a similar question, Horner said: “Look, me and Toto are very different characters. We function in different ways, and I think I’ll spend Christmas with Toto? Maybe no, unless you’re doing pantomime this year?I can take the kids.

Horner says Wolff will do well ‘mute villain’

“But I think from my point of view it’s a tough competition, it’s Formula 1. You don’t have to be your opponent’s best companion – how can you be? compete with each other. So that’s what I’ll say.”

Horner explained that Red Bull respects Mercedes, but that doesn’t mean team bosses have to be nice to each other.

“I think relationship and respect are two different things,” he said. “Of course there’s respect for everything Mercedes has done and respect for everything Lewis Hamilton has done, but I don’t have to go out to dinner with Toto or kiss him — or anything like that. Yes. a few other team principals that might be but in my opinion it’s a competition.

“I think it’s great that we’re in this position and fighting for the world championship, and it’s the first time in seven years they’ve been challenged, so that just adds to the strength and I think the sport this sport is a big winner. I just hope we have a tough and fair fight between now and the end of the season.”

Wolff added: “As for the team fights, there are a lot of great people working at Red Bull and obviously a lot of great people working at Mercedes. It was a hell of a fight.

“Having respect for the ability that Red bull has, for sure and obviously this is a tough one. It’s the world championship of the highest category in motor racing and what begins with the Olympics. boxing turned pro boxing and now MMA, but that’s okay.

“We’re fighting there trying to do the best job we can, now drop the elbows because the rules say so, and the gloves have been taken off, and nothing else is going to happen. “