Mercedes boss Toto Wolff defends rival Max Verstappen amid Red Bull budget cap drama | F1 | Sport
Toto Wolff has defended Max Verstappen over Red Bull’s budget cap fiasco, despite Lewis Hamilton losing the title last season. Wolff claimed drivers may “not be involved” in decisions their teams make in regards to finances.
However, he warned Verstappen has still benefited from the extra spending in the long run. He explained: “I tell you, I don’t want to be in the shoes of judges.
“To judge on that [with] drivers racing their guts out to be on top [when] there is decisions that the team takes they are not involved in. But still at the end, you sit in a car that’s maybe on steroids.” German newspaper Auto Motor und Sport claimed Red Bull may have breached the budget cap by as much as £9 million ($10mil).
This would have been enough for the FIA to impose strict sanctions on Red Bull including docking championship points. However, it is now understood the team spent far less than this and are likely to only receive a fine.
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Verstappen has since gone on to dominate in 2022, winning 11 races so far this season. The Mercedes boss explained: “The crucial part is that if you’ve been over in ’21 then you’ll be over in ’22 and you’ll have an advantage for ’23.
“If it’s true they’ve homologated a lightweight chassis this year then they may use it next year. It’s a cascade of events that can be influential in all three championships. It’s heavyweight, massively heavyweight.”
Red Bull denied the reports last weekend, stressing the news was “speculation”. Team boss Christian Horner hit back at the team’s rivals, describing their remarks as “bang out of order”.
