THE GLOVES ARE OFF
Wolff insists title fight is about to step up a gear
MERCEDES chief Toto Wolff says the gloves are off in Lewis Hamilton’s title battle with Max Verstappen.
The Red Bull charger has escaped punishment for his aggressive move at last Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, which saw Hamilton forced off the track while trying to overtake.
Hamilton recovered to take a memorable win after starting 10th on the grid, a victory which cut Verstappen’s championship lead to 14 points.
But Wolff clearly feels the FIA’s decision to throw out Mercedes’ appeal to re-examine the flashpoint at Interlagos means anything goes in the remaining three races, starting in Qatar this weekend.
“Olympic boxing went to pro boxing and is now MMA,” said Wolff as he discussed the growing battle between F1’s top two teams.
“But that is OK, we are in the ring now trying to do the best job possible. Elbows are allowed now because the rules say so and the gloves are off.”
The news about Verstappen’s let-off broke as Wolff and his Red
Bull counterpart Christian Horner engaged in some verbal sparring during yesterday’s press conference.
“It is completely expected,” said Wollf. “We wanted to trigger a discussion around it because it will probably be a theme in the next few races.
“We didn’t really think it would go any further.
“You fight for every single point. We don’t expect to gain anything, to be honest, from the right of review, it is more about the principle and philosophy.” Horner countered, and
claimed: “Obviously the right decision as it would open Pandora’s Box on other decisions that happened at that race.”
There has been plenty of bad blood between Wolff and Horner as the two look to mastermind title-winning seasons for their respective teams – but it ramped up a gear in the Gulf as Horner revealed the pair do not get on.
“There is no relationship, there is competition,” he said.
“We have worked hard to get into this position, this is the first time they have been challenged and it is interesting to see how people react when they are challenged. Relationships and respect are different things, there is respect for everything Mercedes have done, everything Lewis Hamilton (above left, with Verstappen) has done.
“I don’t need to go to dinner with Toto, I don’t need to kiss his a**e or anything like that.
“It is a competition, it is great that we are in this position and fighting for the drivers’ championship and the constructors’ championship.
“Toto and I are very different characters and operate in different ways.
“Am going to be spending Christmas with Toto? Probably not. Unless you’re in panto this year, I might take the kids.
“The sport is a big winner out of this and I just hope we have a hard and fair fight between now and the end of the season.”
The action promises to be just as frantic at the Losail Circuit this weekend.
Valtteri Bottas put his Mercedes on the top of the pile in yesterday’s second practice, ahead of Pierre Gasly’s Alpha Tauri, with Verstappen third and Hamilton in fourth.