Toto Wolff criticizes Red Bull’s lack of acknowledgment after the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, comparing it to divisive global debates.
Toto Wolff admits to a certain frustration over the lack of acknowledgment from Red Bull and Christian Horner during the final race of 2021. Speaking on actor Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, he expressed regret over not receiving any recognition from his main rivals at the race that decided the 2021 title, which was overshadowed by the controversy involving Michael Masi.
“I felt the other side—and this is not about Max—didn’t say a single phrase like, ‘It was a tough day for Mercedes, we acknowledge it, both drivers deserved to be champions, and today it just didn’t go Mercedes’ way.’ There wasn’t a single word from Christian or other team members to recognize that. They believed they were in the right,” Wolff said.
The Austrian praised Max Verstappen’s merit, as well as the legitimacy of Lewis Hamilton’s claim to the title: “Both drivers deserved to be champions because of the ups and downs of the season. They probably both should have been world champions.”
“Max was the strongest driver in the first half of the season, Lewis in the second. The same applied to the cars; both should have had the trophy. But on that day, in that race, the title was decided, and it swung the other way.”
“The referee decided to do something that was outside the regulations—not just a judgment call but something entirely outside the rules. It was madness and chaos.”
Wolff believes the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has become a sensitive topic in the F1 community, even though it contributed to making the sport more popular. He likened it to divisive political issues no one wants to discuss.
“It’s part of the tremendous success we see in F1 today. It was incredibly dramatic. And I remember the topics no one wanted to talk about at Christmas tables were Trump, Brexit, and Abu Dhabi 2021.”
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Wolff Slams Red Bull’s Silence After Abu Dhabi Drama Wolff Slams Red Bull’s Silence After Abu Dhabi Drama
