Mercedes and Red Bull are eternal rivals since they have been dominating the grid for over thirteen years. The Austrian team is on another level at present in terms of superiority. They have the fastest car, RB19, that has not lost a race yet. On the other hand, the German team had an unbelievable reign of dominance from 2014 to 2021. They won eight constructor’s titles and seven world driver’s championships. Very few teams in the past have dominated the grid for so long at a stretch. However, once they lost their grip on the title last year, it has been really a struggle for them ever since. Moreover, it must ache them to the core to see their rivals breaking all records of dominance in the history of Motorsport.
Especially when they can’t solve the puzzle to build the fastest car in the new cost-cap era, perhaps that is the reason why the Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, can sometimes act nonchalant in regard to Max Verstappen’s accomplishments. Recently, the Red Bull driver won his tenth consecutive race this year in Monza during the Italian Grand Prix. Later, the Mercedes boss commented that these records were only good for Wikipedia. Naturally, this comment did not sit well with the Red Bull team. Later, the team advisor Helmut Marko mentioned the Mercedes team is not a serious competitor.
Helmut Marko Replies To The Mercedes Boss’ Dismissive Comments
After the race in Monza, Toto Wolff reacted to Max Verstappen’s achievement, saying, “Nobody really cares about these records. These numbers are only there for Wikipedia, but nobody reads them anyway.” This dismissive attitude of the Mercedes boss caused a stir in the rival’s camp. Speaking about the same, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko mentioned that they don’t worry about Mercedes as they are not serious competitors. According to him, the difference between them and Mercedes is that they try to get the best performance out of their team. But Mercedes is just not serious enough. On top of that, Marko believes that they don’t cook up stories like Mercedes does. They just try to focus on their own thing.
Later in the interview, the Red Bull advisor shifted his focus on Max Verstappen, saying it is just great for the Dutchman. Marko feels that, personally, it was more special when Red Bull won their 100th race. Nevertheless, he is very happy for Max Verstappen. On the other hand, many more Sky Sports F1 pundits like Damon Hill also criticized the Mercedes boss for his disrespect. He mentioned that it is certainly not gracious the way Wolff acted. Hill also feels that it is not like the Mercedes boss would say something like this. This is because, normally, he is very sporting. But Wolff is certainly hurting for his team’s condition at present.
Besides Hill, Brundle And Rosberg Criticized Toto Wolff Too
On top of that, Martin Brundle and former Mercedes champion Nico Rosberg also criticized Mercedes Chief Toto Wolff as well. Brundle feels sport must be tribal and appreciate any level of excellence. But it is disappointing to see how Wolff and Hamilton downplayed the accomplishments of Max and his team. Adding to that, Rosberg acknowledged that Toto Wolff is not in his best mood. And that is the reason why his answer sounded darker and not very gracious. The 2016 Mercedes champion driver feels the right answer was, “Hats Off to Red Bull and also respect for their unbelievable accomplishments.”
