"Many punches in the face" - Toto Wolff claims many decisions 'swung against' Mercedes, vows to end 'diplomatic' attitude

Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff vented his angst against the ongoings of a frustrating race weekend at the Brazil Grand Prix, where the momentum swung out of favor for his team until Lewis Hamilton clinched the win. The Austrian team principal spoke of the ongoings of the weekend and about Max Verstappen’s on-track defense in the race.

Speaking after the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Mercedes F1 Executive Director said:

“I think we’ve just had many, many punches in the face this weekend with decisions that could have swung either side against us or for us… it’s just something that I’m just angry about and I will defend my team, my drivers to what comes. I’ve been always very diplomatic in how I discuss things, but diplomacy has ended today.”

Wolff explained how the weekend went against them and called Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification from qualifying for a technical infringement ‘harsh’ in comparison to other incidents this season. The Mercedes team boss referred to an incident where Red Bull Racing were allowed to carry out repairs in Parc Ferme thrice and felt it was unfair. A more recent scenario he felt strongly about was Max Verstappen’s defense in the race going unpenalized.

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Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton still trails Max Verstappen by 14 points in the title

Verstappen had run wide off-track when Hamilton tried to pass him and had also made the Briton run wide off-track. While the two drivers were relieved they did not make contact and enjoyed the wheel to wheel battle on track, the Mercedes team boss felt the Dutchman deserved a penalty.

Commenting on Verstappen’s defense during the race, Wolff said:

“Absolutely an inch over the limit, but he needed to defend, but Lewis just managed it even more brilliantly by avoiding the contact and end the race that way. That was just over the line – should have been a five second penalty at least – and probably Max knew that.”

If Verstappen had received a five-second penalty in the race, according to Wolff’s judgment of the incident, he would have still finished second. The other Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was holding third position nine seconds behind the Dutchman, so he wasn't a threat to Verstappen.

The Mercedes boss felt the stewards' penalties were inconsistent, and although he sympathized with the position they were in while making judgements, he felt it made the team lose faith in the system of judgment.

After the Brazilian Grand Prix, Mercedes F1 team extended their lead over Red Bull Racing F1 team by 11 points, with a victory for Hamilton and third place for Bottas. However, it is a narrow lead that can flip over the next three races, with the next round scheduled from November 19 to 21, 2021 in Qatar.