“I'm going to come after you" - Toto Wolff’s furious row released on Drive to Survive season 5

One of the Drive to Survive Season 5 episodes recently revealed a heated conversation between the Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull team principals during the 2022 F1 season.

The debate was about the Silver Arrows experiencing porpoising and how they should change the car setup to reduce it rather than the FIA stepping in and creating a new rule to monitor the aerodynamic phenomenon.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff did not hold back, accusing his Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner and Ferrari's Mattia Binotto of playing a 'dangerous game' during the team principal meeting after the Canadian GP. He spewed:

"I can tell you that all of you are playing a dangerous game. If a car ends in the wall because it's too stiff or it's bottoming out, you are in the ****, and I'm going to come after you."

Horner asked Wolff if he was acting dramatically, as Netflix's Drive to Survive film crew had their cameras on them at the time. The Austrian responded in the negative, continuing:

"I don't care. If you think this is a little game and performance, I tell you, you are very, very wrong."

As the conversation further panned out, Ferrari's then team boss Binotto said that the setup changes are meant to ensure the safety of drivers, which is more important than squeezing out performances. Although Wolff was well aware of the safety measures, he sarcastically congratulated both the Red Bull and Ferrari team principals for finding a solution to the porpoising.

Eventually, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali stepped in and promised that the FIA and other heads of the sport would find a suitable solution that would benefit everyone. The behind-the-scenes moments were brilliantly captured by Drive to Survive, showing how intense the battles between teams really are off the track.

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McLaren team boss praises Netflix's Drive to Survive for being beneficial for F1

After Netflix created F1's new Drive to Survive original series, there has been a huge bump in the sport's popularity. However, it has also helped the sport and teams financially too.

Speaking about the show, McLaren team boss Zak Brown said that it has helped the sport grow and bring in fans from new places, especially the US. He also explained how more fans watching the sport helps the teams immensely in remaining financially stable and pay their bills. He said:

“I think Netflix has been outstanding for Formula 1. I’m happy we’ve renewed another couple of years. Our whole ecosystem starts with the fan, and when you get the fan, you have countries that want to hold races; you have broadcasters that want to spend money and broadcast our event, which then all trickles down to the racing teams, which then allows us to pay all the salaries of the men and women that work at our racing teams, drivers included.”

The first race of the 2023 F1 season starts in Bahrain on March 5.