BREAKING NEWS: Angry Toto Wolff disagrees with ally Zak Brown in…of support for Christian Horner’s…read More.
Angry Toto Wolff disagrees with ally Zak Brown in…of support for Christian Horner’s…read More.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has publicly disagreed with McLaren Racing chief Zak Brown, siding instead with his longtime rival, Red Bull’s Christian Horner, in the debate over Daniel Ricciardo’s fastest lap at the Singapore Grand Prix. The lap, which didn’t affect Ricciardo’s final position as he was the last finisher and outside the top 10, became a point of contention because it denied McLaren’s Lando Norris a valuable point in his pursuit of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the championship standings.
Ricciardo, driving for VCARB (a team owned by the same company as Red Bull), set the fastest lap in what is speculated to be his last race before being replaced by Liam Lawson. While the fastest lap didn’t result in a bonus point for Ricciardo, as it’s only awarded to drivers who finish within the top 10, it did prevent Norris from gaining an extra point on Verstappen, narrowing the gap by only seven instead of eight points.
Zak Brown expressed concerns that the decision to pit Ricciardo late in the race for fresh tires and the subsequent fastest lap might not have been a purely sporting strategy but rather a form of collusion between Red Bull and its sister team, VCARB, to protect Verstappen’s lead. Given that McLaren is currently fighting Red Bull in the championship, Brown was frustrated with the situation and felt it unfairly hindered his team’s chances.
However, Christian Horner defended his team, pointing out that Ricciardo had personal incentives for securing the fastest lap, as his contract includes a bonus for doing so. Horner acknowledged that questions would be raised because of the ownership ties between VCARB and Red Bull but emphasized that the move was within the rules.
Despite his historic rivalry with Horner and a generally supportive relationship with Brown, Wolff surprisingly agreed with the Red Bull boss in this instance. Wolff, who has often been aligned with Brown on previous disputes such as the Red Bull cost cap scandal, dismissed the notion of any wrongdoing. He stated that teams are free to use all the strategies available to them, as long as they are within the regulations.
“I don’t think it was a dirty play,” said Wolff. “It could come down to a single point, and it was within the rules. The drivers raced fairly, and I don’t see a big problem with it.”
Wolff’s stance contrasts sharply with Brown’s, who appeared less convinced and implied there was something unsporting about the situation. In a radio interview with SiriusXM, Brown commented, “That’s a nice A/B team sporting thing that I didn’t think was allowed. It’s not the first time we’ve seen it, and it probably won’t be the last. I’ll certainly be asking some questions.”
Brown hinted that Ricciardo’s late pit stop, which enabled him to go for the fastest lap, would not have been necessary if there wasn’t an ulterior motive behind the move, as Ricciardo stood no chance of scoring a point. Brown concluded that the incident illustrated a broader issue around sister teams and the potential for strategic manipulation in Formula 1.
Ultimately, the disagreement highlights the fine line between strategic creativity and perceived unsporting behavior, with both Wolff and Horner defending the move, while Brown remains skeptical of its fairness.
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