Formula 1
Wolff urges ‘common sense’ after Marko’s F1 stewards comments
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says it is important to view incidents with “common sense” after Helmut Marko claimed Red Bull is being treated differently by the stewards.
Luke Smith
Edited: Dec 10, 2021, 7:46 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were caught up in multiple incidents last Sunday in Jeddah that led to the stewards handing Verstappen two penalties.
After being told to give Hamilton a position back after an off-track pass earlier in the race, Verstappen was later hit with a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage when defending the lead.
Verstappen was also given a 10-second penalty post-race for causing a collision after the stewards deemed he was “erratic” when braking to try and let Hamilton past ahead of the final corner.
Red Bull advisor Marko told Motorsport.com after the race that the team felt it was “not treated the same” by the stewards, citing Hamilton running too slowly ahead of the first red flag restart and forcing Verstappen wide at the final corner as incidents that were not looked at.
Marko was also unhappy that Hamilton had avoided any material action for impeding Nikita Mazepin in practice on Friday, saying: “It's a very one-side tending decision-making here.”
Helmut Marko, Consultant, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Asked by Motorsport.com for his thoughts on Marko’s comments after Sunday’s race, Wolff said: “You need to dig quite deep to come up with things that went against Max today.
“I can’t comment on what they say.
“I think in Brazil, we felt that it was harsh against us, with a disqualification for the sprint race. Who would have thought that we can come back?
“I think that Lewis could have scored three points in that sprint race, and didn’t score any. And that could be valuable points.
“Someone is always going to be unhappy about things. I’m trying, with all my bias, still to try to look at things with a common sense. I guess I’m not always successful in the heat of the moment.”
Read Also:
- Red Bull's 2020 Abu Dhabi F1 dominance means little, says Mercedes
- Ricciardo: Verstappen-Hamilton title showdown "dream scenario" for F1
- Hamilton can be "very wily" in F1 track battles, says Horner
Hamilton and Verstappen are tied on points heading into Sunday’s championship showdown, but both have been involved in incidents over the past three grands prix that have led to reviews by the stewards.
In Brazil, Hamilton was excluded from qualifying after his car failed a technical check, only to fight back and win the race on Sunday following a wheel-to-wheel fight with Verstappen.
Verstappen was given a grid penalty in Qatar for not slowing for yellow flags, while Hamilton was summoned for two incidents in final practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ahead of the incidents in the race.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Shwartzman to drive for Ferrari in Abu Dhabi post-season F1 test
Next article Red Bull's 2020 Abu Dhabi F1 dominance means little, says Mercedes
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Latest news
Kaden Honeycutt wins incident-free Phoenix NASCAR Truck race, extends points lead
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Phoenix
2 h
Kaden Honeycutt wins incident-free Phoenix NASCAR Truck race, extends points lead
GTA VI 'Vice City' blimp to appear at NASCAR championship weekend
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
7 h
GTA VI 'Vice City' blimp to appear at NASCAR championship weekend
Verstappen Racing struggles to 15th as Porsche takes emotional Portimao pole
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
WCEE GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 8 h
Verstappen Racing struggles to 15th as Porsche takes emotional Portimao pole
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
12 h
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe