After years of intense rivalry, Toto Wolff believes that he still has a good relationship with Max Verstappen and his father Jos Verstappen. The Mercedes Team Principal reflects on the heated battles between Lewis Hamilton and the Red Bull Racing driver in 2021.
'I always had a correct relationship with the Verstappens'
"Jos, Max and I always had a correct relationship," Wolff reveals in the podcast Armchair Expert. "It suffered a bit in 2021 because it got dirty from both sides," the Team Principal added. Hamilton and Verstappen fought one of the biggest battles in Formula 1 history throughout 2021. This resulted in large crashes at Silverstone and Monza, as words were exchanged on both sides on and off the track.
Finally, the title fight was decided during the season's conclusion in Abu Dhabi during the highly debated and controversial safety car situation in which Verstappen managed to overtake Hamilton in the very last lap. According to Wolff, this was a dramatic event for himself and for Hamilton.
"What a year. And it’s part of the great success we are having today. It was really traumatic and I remember from the Christmas table the topics that nobody wanted to touch on many Christmas tables were Trump, Brexit, and Abu Dhabi 2021." Wolff concluded.
This article has been created in collaboration with Jeroen Immink.
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