Toto Wolff: “Räikkönen’s mistake is deliberate or that of an incompetent”
The Executive Director of Mercedes is struggling to accept the scenario of this race and the collision at the start between his protege, Hamilton, and Räikkönen.
The tension is rising at the top of the championship. Already under pressure after the double mechanical retirement in Austria a week ago, Toto Wolff speaks out on the new controversy: Lewis Hamilton’s contact with Kimi Räikkönen’s rival car at the start. The Mercedes boss feels aggrieved. His view on “Iceman” is not tender.
« The question is whether it was deliberate or not. As James Allison said, if it’s not the case, then he is incompetent! It’s an unfortunate racing incident: those are points lost for the constructors’ standings. »
Being kicked out in the first round, once again after Castellet, leaves us with a bad impression of them (Editor’s note: Ferrari).
The team principal is thinking about the previous dispute, the clash between Vettel and Bottas at Le Castellet two weeks ago. In France, the Finn had tumbled down the field at the end of the first lap, only managing a modest seventh place at the finish.
Toto Wolff continues by applauding the race of his two drivers: Lewis made a superb comeback, his driving was fantastic, he limited the damage to the maximum. We still gained positions on the track, second and fourth, which is better than before the safety car came out. Valtteri defended like a lion but in the end, he simply had no more tires.
On the incident, it should be noted that the stewards did not delay, applying a ten-second penalty to Kimi Räikkönen, finally carried out during his first pit stop. After the race, the Finnish driver immediately acknowledged his mistake in this action, which contributed to taking away the victory from a driver in front of his home crowd.
Ferrari’s response
Interrogated in turn about the initial scuffle, Maurizio Arrivabene rose as a shield for Kimi Räikkönen. The Italian team principal is particularly upset with James Allison, who, however, worked at Ferrari between July 2013 and July 2016.
If he really said that, he must be ashamed! Kimi has been driving for Ferrari for a long time. Who is he to judge what a driver should do in a car? I accept criticism from former drivers, but not from this guy.
« They must be elegant. We are in England, do they want to show us how to be a gentleman? They should start with themselves! »
Below is Toto Wolff’s live reaction in the F1 Live show, hosted by Will Buxton and Esteban Gutierrez from the Silverstone paddock, starting from 37′.
The #F1Live show is back!
Join @wbuxtonofficial and @EstebanGtz live straight after the podium ceremony
Special guests: @nico_rosberg, @liamcunningham1 and @JeanTodt and more#BritishGP #F1 https://t.co/04ofClsCqb
— Formula 1 (@F1) 8 juillet /f1/actualite/22824-stupide-de-penser-que-laccrochage-etait-delibere-les-reactions-du-top-3-a-silverstone-.html
