Tag Archives: Mercedes

December 12, 2024 · 10:13 am

Why Russell didn’t need Wolff’s “keep it super clean with Lewis” message

Russell and Hamilton have maintained respect for each other

George Russell says that he didn’t need a message from Toto Wolff late in the Abu Dhabi GP telling him to “keep it super clean with Lewis” given the level of respect between the two Mercedes team mates.

Running a different strategy from 10th on the grid in his final race with the team Hamilton was set to catch Russell for fourth place in the closing laps.

Wolff came on the radio and admitted he was “stating the obvious” when urging Russell not to fight Hamilton too hard.

The seven-times World Champion duly fought his past with a bold around the outside move to claim fourth.

Despite ending his season with a humble fifth place Russell was in a positive mood after the race.

“We’ve been off the pace this whole weekend,” he said when asked about the race by this writer. “And I felt like it was quite a fitting way to finish with Lewis just one second apart after these three years.

“And to be honest, I’m actually just really happy for him that he had a great final race, because I think he deserved it.

“The team deserved to give him the send-off, and just pleased [this season] has come to a close now.”

Russell agreed that the Wolff message was unnecessary: “Of course, of course. Toto doesn’t need to say it. He knows Lewis and I have got so much respect for one another. We always race hard but fairly and come down to the wire.

“But ultimately for me, having these three years together, I learned so much from Lewis, as a driver, as a person. And today he deserved to finish ahead of me, because he’s been quicker this whole weekend. And as I said, I’m just sort of proud to have had these years.”

Russell says Hamilton’s approach to being a role model is what had the biggest impact on him.

“To be honest I think just actually seeing first-hand what a role model he is,” he said when asked what he had learned from Hamilton. “I think I sort of recognised from Lewis that we’ve all got this platform, and we have to use it correctly.

“And that’s become even more apparent to me when I got my young niece and nephews watching Tik Tok and YouTube and Netflix. I spend a bit of time with Toto’s son, and he and his friends see Netflix, and all of this stuff.

“And it’s how you deal with the victories, how you deal with the losses, you inspire the young kids. And I think also this weekend, when I look back to that photo I had of Lewis and I when I was a kid, I looked up to him the same way as all these kids look up to us.

“So I think that’s been probably the biggest life lesson that I’ve learned from him, is that sometimes even if you want to really express something, there’s hundreds of millions of people watching, and the way you do it is super important.”

Regarding Hamilton’s farewell weekend he said: “It’s been great, to be honest. We had a do on Thursday night all together, and looking back through some of his memories.

“And as painful as these three years have been, I think seeing all of these memories as well reminds the team that we can do it. We have the same team as was there during Lewis’s glory years.

“And Lewis even said after the debrief yesterday, everyone had their head in their hands after what happened in qualifying, but he said let’s stand tall, and let’s not forget of all these pole positions and wins that they’ve had together.

“I think it’s been a very nice way to finish this season. It has been a tough three years, and I think this change for everyone is really going to spark a lot of motivation for everyone. And I think sometimes changes is really much needed.”

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December 5, 2024 · 2:53 pm

Wolff: “Weak” Horner is a “yapping little terrier”

Toto Wolff has made clear his feeling about Christian Horner…

Toto Wolff has slammed Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner in the wake of the escalation of the war of words between their drivers, George Russell and Ma Verstappen.

Wolff was left fuming in Qatar after Horner suggested that Russell had been “quite hysterical” in the stewards hearing that led a penalty for his driver.

In Abu Dhabi on Thursday Wolff suggested that Horner was “weak” and was “falling short in his role”, in effect for not telling Verstappen that he might be two sides to the story.

“I think as a team principal It’s important to be a sparring partner for your drivers,” he said. “And that means explaining that things can be more nuanced. Statements that are absolutistic, thinking that everything is either right, 100% right or 100% wrong, it’s just something you I think you need to explain. Think more nuanced, not depending from your perception and your perspective.

“You need to allow for something to be 51/49 you need to allow it to be 70/30, so there’s always another side. And maybe when you look at it that way, and you explain it to your drivers and to your team, you come to the conclusion that there is truth on both sides. If you don’t do that, you’re falling short of your role, It’s just weak.

“Why does he feel entitled to comment about my driver? How does that come? But you know, thinking about it, yapping little terror. Always something to say.”

He made it clear that the hysterical comment had particularly riled him.

“There is a thing between drivers, and this is George and Max, and I don’t want to get involved in that,” he said. “But if the other team principal calls George hysteric, this is where he crosses the line for me.”

now his forte for sure, is not intellectually psychoanalysis. That’s quite a word. How dare you? How dare you comment on the state of mind of my driver.”

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November 29, 2024 · 7:46 am

Hamilton didn’t want to make Ferrari debut in Abu Dhabi test

Just two races to go for the Hamilton/Bono team

Lewis Hamilton says he didn’t want to make his first appearance for Scuderia Ferrari in the post-season Abu Dhabi Formula 1 test – but admits that missing out will hamper his preparations for 2025.

While Carlos Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon will all be driving for their new teams at the Yas Marina track Hamilton is committed to sponsor activities with Petronas in Malaysia designed to mark his departure from the team.

However he says that he wouldn’t have wanted to have his first outing in a public test, and never formally requested a release from Toto Wolff.

He’s set to have his first drive in a 2022 car in January at Fiorano.

“I know Fred [Vasseur] wanted it to happen,” he said. “For me, I was into two minds. Driving the red car for the first time in Abu Dhabi does not excite me, in that in a perfect world, you’d get to drive it, not be seen, and do the first roll out next year.

“When I did raise it, obviously with Toto, they had all these plans that I’ve got to go and see some sponsors, for them to say their farewells.

“So I don’t think it was ever going to actually be allowed, even if I had asked to have done it, but because I’m contracted to team until December 31. And that’s totally fine.

“But it doesn’t bother me, because I wasn’t going to do the test. It’s not what I wanted to do. I told Fred, that’s not what I want to do.

“Am I missing out something? For sure, it definitely delays the process and makes the start of the year harder, but we’ll do our best to recover.”

Hamilton says as he counts down his final races before his departure from Mercedes it’s starting to hit home.

“I just sat with Bono just now, and I was like, geez, two races left together,” he said. “And so definitely we have those moments. Everyone, we just all move forwards. I can’t wait for Christmas. I’m just excited.

“I’m excited for the season to end, because we’re not fighting for any more positions in the championships, driver-wise, it’s not nothing exciting, there’s not really much that’s going to change. So I definitely miss those times where you’re battling.

“Last year, I think in Abu Dhabi, we’re fighting for that one extra point to keep us be P2, so that’s awesome. When you’re not in the battle anymore, it’s kind of less exciting. Right the second, I don’t particularly feel emotional, but I’m sure there will be a moment.”

Regarding his final race in Abu Dhabi he said: “I’ve had all year to think about it, so there’s been those highs and lows through the year, so I can’t predict how I’m going to feel next Sunday, after the race, or the days to follow, or at Christmas, how I’m going to feel.

“It’s not easy. It hasn’t been easy all year, and even next year – I remember when I joined this team, it was strange driving past my old team in the in the pit lane, to the point that I even stopped at theirs at one point. So yeah, I’ll have to work hard next year.”

Asked what he will miss by leaving Mercedes he highlighted the long term relationships that the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss enjoyed with the company.

“It’s what I’ve always said about Mercedes, is that it really is a family,” he noted. “I’ve always said that. And one of the hardest parts of the decision is obviously when you when you’re at Mercedes, you’re a part of the family forever.

“If you look at the past drivers, up until their 80s, until literally their deathbed, you’re a part of the team, and they include you and honour you for life. And that was always a worry in the decision that everything you built that ends.

“In my mind that don’t think that’s the case. I’ll always be a part of Mercedes history. In the future, I’ll always be able to come back and see the museum and know that I was a part of the history of this brand. I think we’ve all worked so hard.

“We’ve been through so much together. It’s hopefully not a burning of a bridge. I think the bridge is solidified and it will last the test of time.”

He added: “In these last two all I want is that we give it our absolute all, which I know we will. For me, these two races, aren’t going to define anything for the future, it’s not going to define our relationship or our past.

“We’ve already done everything and more than we ever set out to do so. But it would be great if we could get a win again. But we’ll see.”

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November 25, 2024 · 2:46 pm

Wolff: Cold Las Vegas helped to put Mercedes W15 in “sweet spot”

Wolff says that Mercedes has to learn lessons from Las Vegas

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says that the cold conditions in Las Vegas put the W15 in a “sweet spot” that allowed George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to secure a surprise one-two finish.

In addition the team managed to avoid the tyre graining that hampered the race of main rivals Ferrari.

Russell won from pole, while Hamilton was able to charge through the field from 10th on the grid.

“It’s cold,” said Wolff when asked about the team’s strong form. “I think clearly you can correlate where we’ve been strong. We’ve been strong in Silverstone, we’ve been strong in Spa, and then here in Las Vegas.

“And I think it’s just keeping the car in its sweet spot, the tyres in the optimum window. It clearly shows that the car can be very, very quick.

“We were two seconds quicker than our competition at times when George was pushing, and for the rest of the day, he was just managing his pace.”

Wolff acknowledged that avoiding graining was a key factor in the race.

“It’s strange,” he said. “We were capable of pushing whenever we wanted to, and there was no graining appearing, neither on the medium, nor on the hard.

“You could see Charles [Leclerc] attempted a few times to put pressure on George, which he defended great. I don’t know what the outcome would have been of that, but the driving was exceptional.

“And Leclerc after a few laps couldn’t hold the pace, fell off. We didn’t hit a single sign of graining, nor degradation.”

Wolff had an intriguing theory about why things worked out for Mercedes: “It kind of spirals into the bad zone, if you break traction, and then it’s hot. You kind of swing out of the window all the time.

“And when you break traction here, that was actually helpful to keep the temperature at the time. So clearly, there is a pattern that some teams really love the cold, and extract a lot of performance.

“And there are some teams that have been so strong when it was hot – in Singapore, the McLarens, for example – and then they have dominated in the way that they just controlled it in the way they wanted. So it would be important to find a balance for next year.”

He added: “This one is a really important result, because you have fluctuations over the weekend, and then normally you can say we’ve been good here, then we’ve been not too good in that session.

“But here, every single session, we were ahead. So lots of good data that allow us to say, well, at least we know where the sweet spot is, this is where we need to be, and then trying to find out how we can get that target more often.”

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November 24, 2024 · 12:49 pm

Russell: Las Vegas race was won with “exceptional” opening stint

Russell says the opening stint was key to his Vegas win. Picture: @tinnekephotography

George Russell says he won the Las Vegas GP with an “exceptional” opening stint having started from pole position.

On a day dominated by tyres the Mercedes driver opened up a useful lead and was able to stop later than his main rivals.

He stayed in front throughout, and was able to maintain an advantage over team mate Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps to secure his third career win.

“It’s been a real surprise seeing how strong our pace has been, and securing the pole yesterday I was so pleased with,” he said. “And then I think we won the race in stint one.

“To be honest, stint one was exceptional. And I knew from there on in the only way we would probably lose the victory is if I grained the tyres, and opened them up. So it was just a case of managing my pace, managing in the right corners and bringing it home.”

Although Russell had said on Friday that he couldn’t explain the car’s pace in Las Vegas, having completed a race distance he believes that the answer lay in the smooth surface.

“It’s no secret that we struggle on the bumpy circuits and we have to lift the car quite a lot,” he said. “We’ve got to make it much softer. And then we’re in a downforce window where we don’t have any.

“And it’s not that we just suddenly forget how to set the car up. It’s just certain circuits require us to put the car in a window it doesn’t like to be.

“And on tracks like this where it’s relatively smooth, we can get the car quite low, quite stiff, with little or no bumps around the track, we fly.”

Russell is confident that the team will also be strong at the upcoming event in Doha.

“I think we’ve got a good shot in Qatar, to be honest,” he said. “Going into this triple header, I had my sights set on Qatar, even to the point that I wanted to take my freshest engine out and put an old engine in for Vegas, to save my best engine for Qatar. And I’m kind of glad we didn’t do that now.”

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November 22, 2024 · 8:35 pm

Wolff: Title drought won’t take shine off Hamilton era at Mercedes

Wolff says the bigger picture of success is what counts Picture: @tinnekephotography

Toto Wolff says that a three-year title drought for Mercedes will not overshadow the earlier successes achieved by the team during the Lewis Hamilton era.

The Brackley team won seven drivers’ championships from 2014 to 2020, with Hamilton earning six of them and Nico Rosberg winning one.

The team also took the constructors’ title in each of those years, plus an eighth in 2021.

However under the current regulations the team has failed to repeat that dominance and has only rarely had a car that was capable of winning races.

Despite that Wolff says that the bigger picture is what counts.

“It’s the most competitive motorsport in the world and we were lucky and blessed with winning eight consecutive World Championship titles,” said Wolff. “That wasn’t done before in any other sport.

“And Lewis won [six] drivers’ championships. You cannot extrapolate from that that you’re going to win forever, or that you’re in the hunt for every single championship. That doesn’t happen.

“And the regs were changed twice and we maintained the level of performance and won championships. And then we’ve just been caught out by these new regulations in 2022.

“Until today, we’re just not able to put steady performance on the car and provide the drivers with something that is predictable, that has enough downforce, that doesn’t bounce or hop, that rides where the ride is acceptable, where the tyre degradation can be managed in the right way and not be too cold or too hot. And that is how sport goes.”

Wolff also made a comparison with an all-time great of the basketball world.

“Michael Jordan played 12 seasons or whatever, he won six championships… Were the other six a failure? And I think we’ve been together 12 years now in this championship and we won eight. Are the other ones a failure?

“We finished third two years ago, we finished second last year, bearing in mind we haven’t won a race, and we won three this year. So that is not all a failure.

“That was a pretty good spell for Mercedes and for Lewis. And we will be trying to do it better. We are trying to do it better every single day, every single weekend. And the same will be next season, and then the big one in ‘26.”

Wolff indicated that it hasn’t really hit home that Hamilton will be leaving the team in the coming weeks.

“There is no overwhelming emotion now that this is ending, but I’m sure the closer it’s going to come to Abu Dhabi and the last sessions, the last race together will be quite a thing, because we had this wonderful partnership for such a long time.

“But having said that, Lewis is not going to disappear. Lewis is going to be on the grid next year with a Ferrari. We are not losing the person, we are just losing the driver. But we embark on a new future.

“We have an 18-year-old and a 27-year-old that are going to be our drivers. And that is super exciting. And at the same time, personally, we wish Lewis all the best and happiness. And maybe a car that’s not so fast! But nevertheless, it is a decision he took. And we’re OK with that.”

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October 26, 2024 · 6:06 am

How Antonelli “learned the lesson” after Monza FP1 crash hit confidence

Antonelli says he learned from the Monza incident…

Kimi Antonelli says he “learned the lesson” after his heavy accident in FP1 at Monza – and thus took a different approach when he returned to the cockpit of the Formula 1 Mercedes W15 in Mexico City on Friday.

After being fast straight out of the pits Antonelli crashed early on his first public outing on the Italian GP weekend, the day before he was officially confirmed a race driver for 2025.

At the announcement team boss Toto Wolff made it clear that the youngster had to learn that not every track outing is a qualifying session.

In Mexico he duly stayed out of trouble, acutely aware that he was driving Lewis Hamilton’s car with the only available new spec floor.

He also has to focus on homework for the team, given that the later FP2 was devoted to Pirelli tyre testing.

He finished the session in 12th place, 1.2s off team mate George Russell, with his lap times compromised by a few tenths after he ran over debris. The floor was repaired in time for FP2.

His next planned outing in the W15 will be at the Abu Dhabi rookie test in December.

“It was quite a positive day overall,” Antonelli told this writer. “Of course, it was a new track for me today, so I was trying to build step-by-step. The red flag didn’t help, of course, because I lost quite a lot of track time, but overall, it was quite okay.

“I didn’t want to take any risks in the push lap, because I wanted to just understand the car and the tyres, and build the confidence.

“Because after Monza it was a big hit, also confidence-wise, so it was good to have a clean session. And, yeah, even though there was margin overall, I’m quite happy with how it went.”

The 18-year-old confirmed that he had heeded Wolff’s advice and adopted a more cautious attitude.

“Of course, I definitely learned the lesson from Monza,” he said. “And today I think was quite a good test as well to try a new approach.

“Today I had a bit too much margin, but yeah, it’s also an FP1. You don’t really want to take risks. Also, I was doing some work for the team, some setup changes, so it was important to get the laps in without doing mistakes, and I think it was pretty good for that.”

Antonelli also confirmed that he’s been busy since his drive was announced in September.

“I mean, life changed,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of trackside with the team, I’ve been attending all the races so far, and also doing a lot of work at the factory, trying to continue developing for this season, but also preparing for ’25.”

Asked if he’s aware of becoming more famous in Italy he said: “I didn’t really spend much time at home, so I couldn’t really experience that. But for sure, there’s a lot more recognition.”

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October 25, 2024 · 11:56 am

Hamilton sticks with only new Mercedes W15 floor for Mexico

Hamilton is keeping faith with the new W15 floor he ran in Austin

Lewis Hamilton has stuck with the updated Mercedes W15 floor in Mexico, leaving team mate George Russell with the older spec that he raced in the Formula 1 US GP.

The team only had two of the floors in Austin, and Russell damaged his when he crashed heavily in Q3.

Having qualified only 19th Hamilton offered Russell the use of his for the race, but given the time needed to make the swap from new to old it was decided that Hamilton would keep it, and Russell would go back to the earlier version.

In the race Hamilton spun off, although the new floor wasn’t damaged. He was given the first call on running it in Mexico, and has decided to persevere with it in the belief that it will ultimately be better.

As there is still only one available example Russell will continue with the old one.

After his spin in the race Hamilton was left somewhat perplexed, but having studied the data with his engineers he now has a better idea of what happened

“We can see in the data that we have three wheeling,” he said. “So the left wheel starts moving, so the car is jacking. Basically, we can see on the rear the ride height oscillating a lot, so 12 to 15mm difference going into the corner, and you can see a 40 km/h tail wind.

“So you can imagine, there’s a small window where the downforce is perfect, and if you’re too high, then you fall off the peak. And the other side, you go over the peak.

“So I think it’s a combination of all those things. If you watch the video, the car is bouncing, the left wheel starts bouncing, and then I think it just loses load.

“And I think the floor is probably a little bit more sensitive, maybe, than the previous floor. But I’ve kept it on this weekend because it’s a much less bouncy circuit, and we need to get more data on everything.”

Asked by this writer about his offer to loan his floor for the Austin race he smiled at Russell.

“I kind of wish you did take it!” he joked. “I think it’s just ultimately I’m here to help in whatever way I can, trying to do whatever is best for the team, really.

“But in the end of the day, that was not needed, and George did a great job with the other package.

“And this weekend George is on the back the same package as last weekend, so we will get a good read. The upgrade should be better, but it’ll be interesting to see if there is much difference between the two.”

Hamilton admitted that it wasn’t easy to understand what happened in Austin, with the car proving fast on Friday before becoming difficult.

“Definitely a challenge, for sure,” he said. “Up until the last race, we’ve had a lot of confidence in the car. We’ve been improving and had our challenges, but generally, George and I were really more comfortable with throwing the car into corners, and it’s there for you.

“And then we start the last weekend… Nobody spins in Turn 3, because it’s the easiest corner on the track! And I have a spin in Turn 3 in P1. George has a crash in qualifying, and I lose the rear end completely in the race. So definitely something that was unexpected to both of us.

“George did a great job on Sunday with the old package. I’m hoping that the [new] package can be better this weekend. We’ll see. And yeah, it is frustrating. That’s the way it’s been. And we just try and to do the best job we can what we have.”

Asked if it felt odd that he was pressing on with Mercedes development while knowing that he’s going to Ferrari Hamilton downplayed the suggestion.

“I wouldn’t say that it feels odd,” he noted. “I think ultimately every bit of input that I put in now, along with George’s, for example, is contributing to the development forwards. But that’s the job, that’s what I’m paid for.

“I’m not holding anything back from any of our sessions. And at the end of the day, this is a team that I’ve been successful with for many, many, many years, and I want the team to continue to have success. That’s just how I’m wired. That’s how I am. Maybe other people do it differently.”

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October 23, 2024 · 12:18 pm

Wolff: No issue with Mercedes W15 floor upgrade despite incidents

Russell had to go back to an old floor after his crash

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff insists that the latest floor upgrade for the W15 was not the cause of the issues experienced by the drivers in Austin.

George Russell crashed heavily in Q3, while in the race Lewis Hamilton had a rare spin and became stuck in a gravel trap.

Russell started the race from the pitlane with a rebuilt car and the previous floor package and had a solid race to sixth place.

The car had looked fast on Friday with the new parts before losing performance, leaving the team confused by its behaviour.

“I don’t think we have a fundamental issue on the upgrade,” said Wolff. “I think it’s more interaction on aero and on mechanical stuff. 

“We’ve got to continue with the upgrade. Makes no sense to not, because there’s a lot of lot of lap time you leave live on the table.

“But on the other side, you need to be very open-minded. I mean, George drove the July upgrade today, because we didn’t have the floor, and that seemed really competitive in the race.

“Having said that, if you’re missing a few tenths in qualifying, that makes a big difference, because it’s just not as good as it should be.”

Wolff cited the pace of the car in sprint qualifying on Friday, although Hamilton wasn’t able to complete his lap.

“It is more that really getting on top of, why do we have a car that on Fridays is by far the quickest before the Colapinto situation?,” he noted.

“It was four-tenths up and the last sector was just trouble, but it would have been quickest. And then on a Saturday, it’s transformed in the sprint race. We had a broken suspension. That’s one explanation. We fixed that in qualifying, and nothing would go any more. And we struggled to have pace.

“Today, an incident [with Hamilton] in the in that corner that came out of nowhere. He was not pushing at all. So where I sit the moment it’s 100% not Lewis’s forward. And that is not to say that I’m protecting him.

“It’s clear it was gusty, there was a slipstream. How does all of that interact? How does Ferrari come from almost written off before the summer, and turns it around that they have a dominant car finishing one-two?”

Wolff insisted that he was always wary that winning would become harder.

“I’m always a half full glass person, and always sceptical,” he said. “And all these years, that was I think a good mindset that we had in the organisation – it’s just never good enough.

“But where we are now, clearly, this inconsistency that we have with ground effect cars since two and a half years is something that we just need to get on top of it. And I don’t think we are far away. It’s just, I think it’s that step away to kind of understand more.

“But it’s not only us. When you see the fluctuations in performances between the McLarens, the Red Bulls and then Ferrari, all directions. There is some commonality and pattern that we can see.”

Wolff is confident that the team can understand and ultimately address its ongoing issues.

“I think that this is a data-driven sport,” he said. “And there will be lots of digging between, why were we fastest on Friday evening? Why not anymore in qualifying the next day? What was the circumstances of that, what do the data say?

“And then today’s performance, lots of data collection. So that’s why it’s not concerning for me. It’s just where we are. We’re back to underdog status. So you’re not back to pre-summer situation.

“It’s not about coming into the weekend and thinking we’re going to win this, but it’s more going into the weekend and thinking at the moment we are fourth team on the road.

“How are we turning this around to be third, or second, and managing our expectations for the rest of the year, seeing it very much as a test whilst going into the weekend and pushing as much as we can, of that makes sense.”

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October 21, 2024 · 3:25 pm

Wolff questions “outrageous” Red Bull ride height adjustment controversy

Wolff isn’t smiling about the Red Bull ride height saga…

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has called the situation surrounding the controversial Red Bull ride height adjustment device “outrageous” – and questioned why it was needed on the car.

The FIA’s Nikolas Tombazis has made it clear that the matter is closed and that no sanctions will be taken against Red Bull.

In Austin TV cameras caught a Red Bull mechanic demonstrating to the FIA that a large and very obvious tool was required to change the settings on the device, and Wolff suggested that it was used for theatrical effect.

“My view is from the distance of what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard. It’s outrageous,” he said. “I really like that when they put this real ‘broom’ in the car to demonstrate how that is only way of that getting changed. I wonder how long it took them to make this, and to stick it in there?

“And I didn’t know that in F1 we were using such devices. It’s not good enough to say ‘You know, that’s it. Promise I’m not going to do it again.’

“Why would you design such a thing, and put two marks on it for two positions? Is that the precise decision making in F1?”

Asked to expand on his “outrageous” comment he questioned how long it took for the device to be spotted.

“I think we’re all designing parts that are F1 standard, that are to the highest specifications,” he said. “We’re designing parts that are within the regulations. Sometimes on things like aero elasticity, you would probably try to go as far as you can.

“But there are certain parts which you would question why they exist. They [the FIA] haven’t just seen it for a long time when they should have.”

Regarding the FIA’s position he said: “I cannot speak for the FIA at all. I cannot speak for Nikolas. Obviously that’s something that’s been not spotted for a long time.”

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