Toto Wolff Breaks Silence on Red Bull’s “Utter Nonsense” Accusations at Qatar

Toto Wolff delivered his blunt opinion on Red Bull's accusations of Mercedes intentionally giving Lando Norris the P4 finish in Qatar.

Toto Wolff Breaks Silence on Red Bull’s “Utter Nonsense” Accusations at Qatar

Max Verstappen and GP (via Red Bull), Toto Wolff (via Autosport)

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The Qatar GP was one of the more eventful races in the 2025 season. The entire race had multiple controversial situations throughout the session. In the final couple of laps, Kimi Antonelli was defending against Lando Norris for the P4 position.

However, the rookie oversteered into a turn and let Norris go by with ease. This opened speculations that Mercedes intentionally helped Norris in his championship ambitions. Toto Wolff has broken his silence on this and revealed the reality.

Max Verstappen was supposed to be just ten points behind Lando Norris had he finished in P5. However, Kimi Antonelli‘s mistake in the final laps meant that Norris is now 12 points ahead in the title fight.

As such, Helmut Marko blasted the situation and claimed that Mercedes intentionally let Norris by. Toto Wolff was having none of it and did not mince his words while responding to these allegations.

Toto Wolff claimed that Helmut Marko was speaking ‘utter nonsense’ and even listening to the claims blew his mind away. Wolff reassured that Mercedes was fighting for P2 in the constructors’ championship and that they weren’t going to do anything to sabotage that. Moreover, Kimi Antonelli was fighting for a P3 finish at the Qatar GP and hence did not intentionally let Lando Norris by.

Bless him, Helmut. This is total, utter nonsense that blows my mind even to hear that. We’re fighting for P2 in the championship, which is important for us. Kimi’s fighting for a potential P3 [in the race].

Toto Wolff said, as reported by motorsport.com.

Further, Toto Wolff did not stop at that and questioned how brainless a person had to be to even come up with such speculations. Wolff asserted that he was already annoyed because of the events that unfolded in the race, and listening to such claims only fueled his anger. Ultimately, he reiterated that these claims were nothing short of ‘nonsense’ and there was no truth in it.

I mean, how brainless can you be to even say something like this? And it annoys me, because I’m annoyed with the race itself, how it went. I’m annoyed with the mistake at the end. I’m annoyed with other mistakes. And then hearing such nonsense blows my mind.

Toto Wolff added.

Toto Wolff claims he cleared the air with Max Verstappen’s race engineer GP

In the final laps, even Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, claimed that he was unaware of why Kimi Antonelli just let Lando Norris by, without seeing the entire situation. Toto Wolff clarified that he met up with GP and discussed the matter, and explained Mercedes’ side of the story after the conclusion of the race.

Toto Wolff and Max Verstappen (via AP)
Toto Wolff and Max Verstappen (via AP)

Toto Wolff revealed that he spoke to Gianpiero Lambiase, and the latter was understandably emotional in the moment. Wolff reckoned that Red Bull was now at a much bigger disadvantage compared to what it would be when Norris finished in P5. Regardless, the Mercedes team principal noted that he cleared the air with GP, and the latter accepted that he did not see the situation fully at first.

I spoke to GP. I saw him, and obviously, he was emotional in that moment, because they needed one position, I guess, to [help] win the championship. Now they need more. I said to him, he just went off. He had a bit of a moment in the previous corner, and then had less entry speed into that left-hander, put the gas down and had that moment, which can happen, that lost the position. So with GP, everything’s clear. Cleared the air. He said he didn’t see the situation.

Toto Wolff noted.

Regardless of the truth at hand, Max Verstappen’s winning chances have become more difficult following Lando Norris’ P4 finish in Qatar. The Dutchman now needs to win the race with Norris finishing in P4 or below at the upcoming Qatar GP in order to be hailed as the 2025 driver’s champion.

Read More: Lando Norris Blames Qatar GP Pitstop “Gamble” After Disappointing Loss to Max Verstappen