Wolff: "Borderline dirty" British GP racing good for F1
Toto Wolff says it is good for a “little dirtiness” to be part of Formula 1 racing but does not want it to happen within his Mercedes team.
After high-profile incidents and stewards investigations in Canada and France, aggressive fights between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in Austria and Britain went unpunished.
Mercedes team principal Wolff also watched his drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas fight for the lead at Silverstone, although with more restraint than Verstappen and Leclerc.
F1 officials appear to be showing more leniency to allow for harder racing, which Wolff is a fan of but says “I don't want to see anything of this in an intra-team battle”.
“I have no doubt that these guys know how to race each other,” said Wolff.
“We've seen that now on many occasions between Valtteri and Lewis, they respect each other off-track and they respect each other on-track.
“To take it another step is fair enough if you race another team.
“But I thought it was very good racing between the two of them, certainly very entertaining, and nobody could say that there wasn't hard defending, but it wasn't dirty.
“And I think what we've seen between some of the other drivers is borderline dirty.
“There's always a little dirtiness in us that we want to see out there.
“In racing, it's good when it's drivers going against each other. But not in the team.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB15, collides with Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF90
Photo by: Lorenzo Bellanca / LAT Images
Verstappen passed Leclerc for the win in Austria with a move that included wheel-to-wheel contact, but the stewards opted not to penalise that because they judged Leclerc played a part on the outside.
In Britain, it was Verstappen who ran off-track after wheel-to-wheel contact with Leclerc, and he retained his position using the run-off – which was not looked at.
Asked by Motorsport.com if the stewards’ decision in Austria was already enabling harder racing, Wolff said: “Yeah, you can clearly see that the Leclerc/Verstappen incident of Austria is being interpreted exactly in the way it was in Austria, and hard racing is permitted.
“You can push somebody out while exiting the corner.
“I think this is how it is allowed in most of the other formulas, and it needs to be between teams.
“I think that's what we all want to see. It is hard racing, but it's something we need to do.”
Previous article
British GP: Best of team radio
Next article
The Red Bull-era weakness that is still plaguing Vettel
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | British GP |
| Author | Scott Mitchell |
Sebastian Vettel explains why Aston Martin
Aston Martin AMR21 Unveiling
The updates Williams hopes will lead to a point-scoring return
After producing a car which demonstrated progress but lacked the points to prove it last year, Williams starts its new era of team ownership with the FW43B, its bid to continue the climb up the Formula 1 grid in 2021
How Ferrari plans to recover from its 2020 F1 nightmare
The 2020 Formula 1 season was Ferrari's worst for 40 years as it slumped to sixth in the standings. A repeat performance will not be acceptable for the proud Italian team, which has adopted a notably pragmatic approach to forging its path back to the top
Why Aston Martin’s arrival is more than just new green livery
In the most eagerly anticipated Formula 1 team launch of the season, the rebranded Aston Martin squad’s changes go much further than the striking paint job. But rather than a restart, the team hopes to build on top of solid foundations.
The car Aston Martin begins its new F1 journey with
The team formerly known as Racing Point gambled successfully on a Mercedes look-alike in 2020 as it mounted a strong challenge for third in the constructors' race and won the Sakhir GP. Now clothed in British racing green, Aston Martin's first Formula 1 challenger since 1960 provides the clearest indicator yet of what to expect from the new-for-2021 regulations
The tricky driver conundrums facing Mercedes in F1 2021
Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, reigning world champions Mercedes will take on challenges both old and new. This also can be said for its driver conundrum which could become key to sustaining its ongoing success...
How Alpine's cure to 2021 F1 rules starts at the front
A new name, new faces and new colours pulls the rebranded Alpine Formula 1 team into a new era while carrying over core elements of its 2020 car. But under the surface there's more than meets the eye with the A521 which hints at how the team will tackle 2021...
Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Replacing Formula 1's fastest car was never going to be an easy feat for Mercedes. Amid the technical rule tweaks to peg back the W12 and its 2021 rivals, the new Mercedes challenger will remain the target to beat
The pointed note that starts Ferrari's Leclerc vs Sainz era
Ferrari is starting its post-Sebastian Vettel age by welcoming Carlos Sainz in alongside Charles Leclerc. But while Sainz has a tough challenge to match his new teammate, Ferrari is also sending a message that previous intra-team spats must end
