Toto Wolff Responds to Red Bull ‘Dirty Play’ Allegations After Ricciardo’s Fastest Lap at Singapore
Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, has dismissed claims that Daniel Ricciardo’s fastest lap during the Singapore Grand Prix was a “dirty play” orchestrated by Red Bull. This speculation arose after Ricciardo snatched the fastest lap from McLaren’s Lando Norris, denying Norris an extra point in the Drivers’ Championship and indirectly benefiting Max Verstappen.
Ricciardo, driving for VCARB (the Red Bull sister team), came into the Marina Bay race late and posted the fastest lap of the race, a move that kept Verstappen further ahead in the title race. As a result, Verstappen, who holds the championship lead, voiced his gratitude over team radio. This led some to believe there was a coordinated effort between Red Bull and VCARB to deprive Norris of the point.
When asked if this was a deliberate strategy, Wolff played down the controversy, saying Ricciardo was simply doing his job. The Mercedes boss believed that the Australian driver’s fastest lap attempt was within the rules and did not violate any sporting principles.
“I don’t think it was a dirty play. Not at all. It could come down to a single point in this tight World Championship fight,” Wolff explained. “It was within the regulations, the drivers weren’t unfair to each other, and Ricciardo just scored an extra point. It’s no big deal.”
There had been speculation that Ricciardo’s fastest lap might have been his last significant moment with VCARB, as rumors swirled about his future with the team. Some reports indicated the Singapore Grand Prix could mark the end of Ricciardo’s stint with VCARB, heightening the significance of his fastest lap.
VCARB, which is connected to Red Bull but operates independently, drew attention for the move. Some critics questioned whether Red Bull had instructed their sister team to help Verstappen’s championship campaign. However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner firmly rejected this idea, stating that Ricciardo likely had a personal incentive to set the fastest lap.
“Daniel obviously wanted to finish the race on a high, and there’s often a bonus in contracts for setting the fastest lap,” Horner said. “There was no instruction from Red Bull. Ricciardo simply saw an opportunity and took it.”
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, voiced his thoughts on the incident after the race. While Stella stopped short of accusing the two teams of colluding, he stressed the importance of ensuring that teams operate completely autonomously. He hinted that the situation raised questions about the integrity of the sport and whether measures should be introduced to prevent teams with close relationships from influencing each other’s results.
“I don’t know the full details. I just saw VCARB went for the fastest lap and achieved it. Talking about sportsmanship in this case might be out of place,” Stella commented. “But in the future, we may need to have a conversation about teams being totally autonomous. This is a Constructors’ Championship and a Drivers’ Championship – not a coalition championship.”
Stella noted that while he found VCARB’s actions “peculiar,” he stopped short of accusing them of working in Red Bull’s favor. However, he emphasized that ensuring full independence among teams will be a topic of discussion going forward.
Overall, while the fastest lap situation has stirred debate, Wolff and Horner see it as fair play. Whether or not future regulations are introduced to address such scenarios remains to be seen, but it has certainly raised eyebrows in the F1 paddock.
