Mercedes and its drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, were silent on social media for nearly 96 hours after announcing their intention to appeal decisions from the final laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The situation changed on Thursday when they reported that they were withdrawing the appeal.
The head of the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff, gave an interview to the German newspaper Bild in which he stressed that he had already spoken with Christian Horner , Red Bull boss, and also with Max Verstappen, the new F1 world champion, despite the tension of the last days.
On the talk with Horner, Wolff said: “He wrote to me that it was a good duel and that we must not forget that we are eight-time constructors’ champions and that is where the money is.”
Asked if the message was conciliatory, because a few days earlier the Milton Keynes team principal had called Mercedes’ unworthy losers, Wolff replied: “It’s all about emotion. We don’t take it personally. They have deserved the victory.”
Regarding Verstappen, he said that the conversation was via text message, where the Dutchman replied: “Thank you very much. It has been a tough fight and I am looking forward to next year.”
The Red Bull driver received the F1 world champion trophy on Thursday night in Paris during the FIA Gala, where Wolff and Hamilton were erased as they did not agree with the decisions made at the end of the race in Abu Dhabi that made them lose the drivers’ title.
Recalling what happened on Sunday night at the Yas Marina track, Wolff described the events as follows: “They are on a par with Diego Armando Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ or the 1966 Wembley goal”, two moments controversial in the history of world sport.
Changes in Formula 1
The Safety Car in front of Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, and the rest of the group
Wolff was asked if he thought they could win the appeal, to which he replied with a resounding “no”, given that the body he was accusing of the decisions, the FIA , “was at the same time the judge, and that creates a Feelings of impotence”.
In addition, he indicated that for the first time he agreed with Helmut Marko , the Red Bull sports adviser, who demands simpler rules and also actions on the personnel for what happened on Sunday to avoid confusion between the teams and the drivers.
“For once we are totally in agreement. The regulation has to be hermetic so that something like this does not happen again. And the right people must be in charge,” Wolff settled.
