Wolff raises eyebrows: "Astonished at the behaviour of individuals"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Toto Wolff has once again stressed not to move Aston Martin to become CEO. However, in an interview with an Austrian medium, the chief of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas hinted some special things between their lips. Wolff also states that talks with Mercedes about a contract extension are currently at a standstill.
"A lot has been written and often people came out after a 1 + 1 on 3 calculation", says Wolff, who says at Österreich that completely wrong conclusions are drawn. The contract of the team boss of Mercedes runs until the end of 2020. "We are still in good discussion about what we want to do together. We are talking about it. But all this has been pushed into the background by the coronavirus. We all have bigger problems to solve now."
Wolff about leaving Mercedes
A move as CEO to Aston Martin therefore rules out the 48-year-old top man. "I won't be CEO there. I won't take a strategic interest as an investor there either." What's striking is that Wolff chooses his words carefully and explicitly states that he's 'not going to move as CEO or investor' to Lawrence Stroll's current Racing Point. If you look at it in black and white, it is still possible to switch to another job title. That's what Ziggo sports reporter Jack Plooij warned about last week at GPBlog.
The follow-up question is: is a collaboration with Stroll sr. excluded in any way? Wolff talks a little bit about that question. "Stroll and his team are a big customer of our racing team. They buy engines, transmissions and suspension parts from Mercedes," he says. "In addition, Lawrence has been a good friend of mine for many years - regardless of our business relationships. Lawrence will become president of Aston Martin and take over the company. People have turned 1+1 into just 3."
Wolff's a little surprised about the way things are going
However, a contract extension at Mercedes is not a formality either. "This is my eighth year on the team. I love the sport and this team. However, I am a bit surprised about the turns that have taken place in winter and about the behaviour of the individuals. This of course also has to do with my decision what I am going to do in 2020 and beyond. But I am and will remain Mercedes team boss and nothing will change in the short term", he concludes his story.