Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has denied the claim that Max Verstappen’s clash with Lando Norris in Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix derived from unpunished incidents.
Verstappen and Norris came to blows at Turn 3 with seven laps remaining as the pair fought over the lead, handing both drivers punctures and ruining their win hopes.
Norris criticised what he perceived to be “reckless” moves under braking from Verstappen, as the stewards treated the latter accountable with a 10-second time drop.
But while Verstappen denied the accusations aimed at him, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella contended the Dutchman’s uncompromising approach wasn’t new.
However, Wolff, who was at the heart of that thrilling championship battle three seasons ago, quashed the notion that comparisons should be made between the two.
“I don’t think you can take this conclusion,” Wolff stated when Stella’s view was put to him post-race. “It’s been so long and from our side.
“We are in a different place today, and I think he is. It takes two to tango. I haven’t seen Lando and Max’s race to be honest. I haven’t seen how all of that came about.
“I first need to watch it before I have an opinion but I wouldn’t see that as a big consequence of 2021 not having been managed well to what happened in 2024.
“I don’t think they have a correlation.”
Mercedes is known to be courting Verstappen should he express a desire to depart Red Bull, although Wolff has insisted the squad has to improve its on-track speed.
The German marque’s recent upturn in competitiveness placed George Russell in a place to capitalise on the touch to seize the team’s first win since November 2022.
However, Wolff has conceded that Mercedes must unlock more performance to be in a position to secure victories on merit and to entice the three-time F1 champion.
“We need two to crash at the front to win at the moment,” he admitted.
“I think we still need to look at ourselves and say what can we do to have a car that makes us able to race with these two in the front?
“And do it more regularly. This is a moment where we can say that we can be a harbour port, a destination for the best drivers, including Max.
“But we are not there yet so I’m not even… So if I was him, I would not be even considering such a move, yet.”
I much rather agree with the impression that MV has gotten away with unethical, unsportsmanlike behavior since 2021, and has been lead to believe that the rules do not apply to him. The 10s penalty and the 2 points on the license are in no relation to the purpose and gravity of the behavior, besides being completely innocuous.
I understand TW would like to have Max under contract, but as Mercedes-Benz shareholder, I would not like to have my brand associated with this kind of character.