Toto Wolff distances himself from Lewis Hamilton’s Red Bull ‘fastest car I’ve seen’ claim
Toto Wolff believes the Red Bull dominance to be in the same league as Mercedes in the early years of the turbo hybrid era.
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Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton
Red Bull Racing has dominated the start of the 2023 F1 season. The Austrian team has achieved 1-2 finishes at both rounds of the year. The entire paddock has stated their astonishment over the pace of the Milton Keynes team. 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton went as far as declaring the RB-19 to be the most dominant F1 car in his career. Although, Hamilton’s team boss Toto Wolff disagreed.
The Mercedes Team Principal admitted that the Silver Arrows, too, had such dominant stints in the past. Wolff said, “We have had those years when we were as strong.” The 51-year-old mentioned such phases as a part of the pinnacle of motorsport. Toto Wolff explained, “It is a meritocracy.” Previously, Mercedes obliterated the competition during the initial years of the turbo hybrid era.
The Austrian billionaire acknowledged that reason for Red Bull’s stellar pace is the hard work done by the Milton Keynes team. Going as far as accepting that his team did not manage the same results as its arch-rival. Toto continued, “Even if it is not great for the show that the same guys win all the time, it is because they have done a good job and we haven’t.” As it stands, Wolff is not so keen on agreeing with Lewis Hamilton on this issue.
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“What makes F1 so special,” Toto Wolff on an F1 team’s dominance
Toto Wolff did not see the Christian Horner-led team’s dominance as a concerning issue for the sport as the 51-year-old had faced such criticism during his team’s championship-winning years. He explained, “We shouldn’t down-talk it, because I remember hearing questions like that in 2014-2020.” Moreover, the Mercedes team boss saw this as a reward for the hard work done by the teams. Wolff said, “and what makes the sport so special is that you need to work hard to win.”
The 51-year-old expressed his appreciation for the Austrian team’s efforts. Toto Wolff said, “and you deserve it as a matter of fact.” Toto Wolff understood the commercial implications of a team being miles ahead of its competitors. Although, the Mercedes team boss regarded it as an essence of F1. He concluded, “Entertainment follows sport. It is maybe not good from the commercial side but it is what makes F1 so special.”
Thus, the Silver Arrows team boss has indirectly refuted the claims made by his star driver. Toto Wolff does not share the same viewpoint as Hamilton over the pace of the Red Bulls. Lewis had previously mentioned the RB-19 to be more dominant than any car he had driven during his championship-winning seasons. On the other hand, Toto considers this to be a part of Formula 1.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)