"It was necessary, too many naysayers" - Mercedes team boss doubles down on his outburst against media at F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has claimed that a stern response to the Las Vegas Grand Prix critics was 'necessary'.

The inaugural Las Vegas GP last November came under heavy scrutiny after the sport seemingly prioritized the show aspect over the racing heading into the race weekend. The criticism got louder after many spoke against the buildup of the weekend and also the timings along with the track layout.

During the team principals' press conference at the time, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff pushed back against the narratives and pointed out that everyone should be thankful to the organizers for their work to get the race going in Las Vegas. He said (via Sportskeeda):

"That is not a black eye. This is nothing! We are Thursday night, and we have a free practice session one that we’re not doing, they’re going to seal the drain covers, and nobody’s going to talk about that tomorrow morning anymore.

"It’s completely ridiculous! Completely ridiculous, FP1, how can you even dare try to talk bad about an event that sets the new standards to everything? And then you’re speaking about a f***ing drain cover that’s been undone. That has happened before! That’s nothing, it’s FP1!"

His stance was appreciated by a woman, who approached him before the start of the race and claimed that they needed the sport, as per the Netflix documentary, Formula 1: Drive to Survive.

During Episode 10 of Season six of the documentary, the Mercedes team boss can be heard saying:

"It was necessary. Too many naysayers."

Mercedes team principal hails Las Vegas GP weekend as 'great'

Toto Wolff has stated that he was really happy with how the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend turned out and pointed out that the initial criticism was overblown.

Speaking with Motorsport.com, the Mercedes boss said:

"Lots of things that were said look a little bit out of proportion or too negative because we are leaving Las Vegas after a great weekend. I think it will have increased the popularity of Formula 1 in the United States, for sure. There is nothing negative that I can find."

He reiterated that the loose drain cover in the FP1 that hit the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz was 'nothing', adding:

"The drain cover was nothing like I said. When I look back at tonight; a spectacular race, great audiences, a mega event, and some good racing at the front, that’s what I will remember of the inaugural Las Vegas race that ticked all of the boxes.”