Toto Wolff lashes out at Red Bull over “senseless” accusations
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has expressed his fury at Red Bull’s “brainless” claim about Kimi Antonelli. The controversy arose after Antonelli allegedly yielded to Lando Norris, supposedly to help the British driver in his championship challenge. Norris, whose attempt to win his first world title at the Qatar Grand Prix was affected by a strategic error by McLaren, finished in fourth place after Antonelli went off track on the penultimate lap. This late error gave Norris two valuable points, meaning he can now finish third, instead of runner-up, in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, ensuring he surpasses Max Verstappen of Red Bull in the fight for the title. Verstappen won in Qatar, but Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase hinted at foul play when he told his driver over the radio: “I’m not sure what happened with Antonelli there. It looked like he just moved aside and let Lando through.”
Wolff went on to explain that Mercedes is fighting for second place in the constructors’ championship, something he considers important. He also mentioned that Antonelli was competing for a possible third place in the race, and questioned the logic behind such accusations. Wolff revealed that he looked for Lambiase after the race. The Austrian added that he clarified the situation with the Red Bull engineer, explaining that Antonelli simply went off track. Wolff concluded by questioning why Mercedes would get involved in such a matter, suggesting that those who make such accusations should “look at themselves” and stop “seeing ghosts”.This is complete and utter nonsense that leaves me flabbergasted.
Toto Wolff
