Toto Wolff expressed that he was unaffected by the remarks made by Oliver Mintzlaff, the CEO of Red Bull. Wolff, who is the Team Principal of Mercedes, has been frustrated with the team’s performance in the third season of the ground-effect era. Recently, he faced criticism from Mintzlaff for his comments on a certain matter. In response, Wolff addressed the comments made by Mintzlaff.
Wolff had previously expressed his frustrations by stating that even the most skilled magician wouldn’t be able to fix the performance issues of the W15. However, he had also been discussing the possibility of signing a certain individual. This led to Mintzlaff calling out Wolff for his comments and suggesting that he should focus on Mercedes’ problems rather than the performance of the individual in question in the 2024 season.
As a result, Toto Wolff has now responded to Mintzlaff’s comments. He claimed that he was unaware of what the CEO was referring to and emphasized that the comments directed at him were irrelevant. The 52-year-old refused to take responsibility for his previous remarks and denied any allegations made by Mintzlaff.
The departure of a certain individual to Ferrari created a vacancy at Mercedes, and Max Verstappen was considered a potential candidate for the team. Wolff did not deny the possibility of such a move for the reigning world champion. There were rumors of a meeting between Verstappen and Wolff after the Miami GP, but Wolff has since dismissed these rumors and provided clarification.
Furthermore, Wolff stated that Verstappen is a desirable target for all teams in the upcoming season. However, he acknowledged that the Dutchman should not leave Red Bull for any other team at the moment, considering their recent success. Verstappen himself made it clear that even a substantial sum of money would not entice him to move to Mercedes. Wolff concluded by stating that there are currently no decisions to be made regarding Verstappen’s future in Formula 1.
Max Verstappen’s hopes of achieving a perfect season in 2024 were dashed by Ferrari and McLaren. Three different teams have won races since the start of the season, creating a more level playing field. Mercedes, on the other hand, has consistently underperformed and missed the opportunity to surpass McLaren in the constructors’ championship. The updates introduced at the Miami GP did not yield significant results for the team.