Damon Hill SLAMS Toto Wolff for ‘churlish’ comments on Max Verstappen’s milestone win at Monza
Lewis Hamilton has earlier emphasized the need for FIA intervention to potentially reduce Red Bull's dominance.
Damon Hill, Max Verstappen and Toto Wolff (Via IMAGO)
Damon Hill, the 1996 Formula 1 World Champion, suggested that Toto Wolff’s dismissal of Max Verstappen’s historic 10th consecutive win reflects his discomfort with Red Bull’s current dominance. The Mercedes F1 boss had described Verstappen’s achievement as a thing “for Wikipedia.” after the Italian GP.
During an intriguing Monza GP weekend, Max Verstappen, after an opening 15 laps battle with Carlos Sainz, secured another dominant win. It was the Dutchman’s 10th consecutive race victory this season. He surpassed Sebastian Vettel’s previous nine consecutive wins record.
Damon Hill believes that Toto Wolff’s response to Max Verstappen’s recent accomplishment reflects his frustration with the current Formula 1 landscape. Before Verstappen’s impressive streak, Mercedes enjoyed an era of dominance in the sport, securing every Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship from 2014 to 2020.
“It sounded a bit churlish and not very gracious, unlike Toto, because he’s usually very sporting,” Hill told Sky Sports News. “I think he’s hurting a bit now. They know what it’s like to be dominated, and they didn’t even get on the podium.”
Discover: McLaren to introduce SIGNIFICANT updates for Singapore GP
Lewis Hamilton’s appeals for FIA invention over Red Bull dominance
During the weekend, Lewis Hamilton emphasized the need for FIA intervention to potentially reduce Red Bull’s dominance, stressing that such a move would benefit the sport as a whole. He also reflected on his past dominance in Formula 1, noting that he consistently advocated for increased competition at the front of the grid, even during his successful periods in the sport.
Hamilton also highlighted the alterations made to the floor regulations, which occurred from 2020 to 2021, as an example of measures to prevent Mercedes’ dominance. He mentioned that similar systemic changes were implemented during his previous periods of success in Formula 1.
Later on, Lewis Hamilton claimed each of his teammates was better than the ones Max Verstappen has had in his career. “When I qualified half a second, six-tenths ahead of Valtteri Bottas, they didn’t say the same thing as they say today when Max qualifies six-tenths ahead of Perez.…. And in my personal opinion, Valtteri, and actually all of my team-mates, have been stronger than the team-mates that Max has had,” Hamilton told Sky Sport
In case you missed it:
- Christian Horner claims Red Bull’s F1 dominance will ‘inevitably’ come to a bitter end
- Toto Wolff grudgingly accepts Ferrari was ‘quicker’ than Mercedes in Monza
Justin P Joy
(4859 Articles Published)