Wolff Slams Red Bull: Accuses of “Absurd” for Alleged Help to Norris

Toto Wolff Questions Red Bull Accusations

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has expressed his anger at Red Bull’s claims, calling them “absurd” and “senseless.” These statements arise following speculation about an alleged deliberate move by Kimi Antonelli to benefit Lando Norris in the Qatar Grand Prix. Norris, who was seeking his first world title in Qatar, finished in fourth place after Antonelli went off the track on the penultimate lap. This error allowed Norris to gain two crucial points, securing him third place in the overall standings, ahead of Max Verstappen in the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen won the race in Qatar, but his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, suggested foul play when commenting on the radio: “I’m not sure what happened to Antonelli there. It looked like he just moved aside and let Lando through.”

Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, stated that it was “obvious” that Antonelli “let Norris pass.” Faced with these accusations, Wolff responded firmly.

This is totally and absolutely absurd, it blows my mind.

Toto Wolff

Wolff emphasized the importance of the fight for second place in the constructors’ championship for Mercedes and questioned the logic behind such accusations. Furthermore, he revealed that he spoke with Lambiase after the race to clarify the situation, explaining that Antonelli simply made a mistake. Wolff concluded: “Why would we do this? Why would we even think about interfering in a drivers’ championship? You really need to examine yourself and see if you’re seeing ghosts.”