Max Verstappen has hit out at Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after he downplayed his recent F1 records.
Max Verstappen is not amused by Toto Wolff’s comments (Image: Getty)
Max Verstappen has claimed that Toto Wolff’s indifference to his recent record-breaking exploits may have been due to the fact that the Mercedes team principal was ‘p*****’ off with the team’s performance at Monza. The Dutchman was in fiery form in Singapore after responding to Wolff’s comments which have sparked a new war of words between the Silver Arrows and Red Bull.
Verstappen made F1 history at the Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago, fighting off the threat of pole-sitter and home favourite Carlos Sainz as well as the charge of team-mate Sergio Perez to take the chequered flag first at Monza.
That victory extended the Dutchman’s winning streak to ten races, moving him clear of Sebastian Vettel’s legendary nine-race win streak that he achieved during his title-winning 2013 campaign.
Speaking to Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf about Wolff’s bad mood, Verstappen retorted: “They didn’t have the best race there, so obviously he was still p***** about that.
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“It sometimes seems like he is an employee of our team, but fortunately that is not the case. I think it’s more important to focus on yourself. That’s what we did when they were so dominant.
“And I also think you have to be able to appreciate what another person is doing and that it can also inspire you. We also knew at that time that we had to work harder and do better.”
Despite an impressive comeback drive from Perez, Verstappen’s 10th successive Grand Prix victory moved him further clear at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, with the 25-year-old now boasting an immense 145-point lead as he chases down his third consecutive world title.
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Toto Wolff is not moved by Verstappen’s current success (Image: Getty)
While Verstappen is laying the foundations for a legendary F1 career, Mercedes boss Wolff remains unimpressed by the Dutchman’s achievements due to the lack of threat from his team-mate and the teams behind Red Bull.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after Verstappen broke the win streak record in Monza, Wolff said: “Our situation was a little bit different because we had two guys fighting against each other within the team.
“I don’t know if he cares about the records. It is not something that would be important for me, those numbers, are for Wikipedia and nobody reads that anyway.”
