Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff indicates that he is following Felipe Massa’s lawsuit with interest. An outcome is not expected in the coming years, but according to Wolff, that outcome could be significant about the denouement of the 2021 season, in which Lewis Hamilton saw his eighth title slip away in the final round.
Massa is still trying to win the 2008 title now that it has become clear that the leaders of Formula 1 and the FIA were indeed aware of crashgate. According to Massa, that race should have been canceled, which would have left him with the world championship. “It’s interesting to follow,” Wolff admits to The Race. ‘The rules in Formula 1 are quite clear. It will certainly set a precedent, whatever the outcome. We watch curiously from the sidelines.’
Will Wolff still start the hunt for Verstappen’s title?
With this interest, Wolff is referring in particular to the conclusion of the 2021 season, where the Mercedes camp was clearly not happy with the way things were going. ‘The FIA has commented on the 2021 race with a clear statement. That is precisely why we are following this with interest.’ Wolff seems to be referring to the FIA statement that followed, which indicated, among other things, that a human error (by Michael Masi, ed.) meant that not all cars were allowed to get rid of a lap behind.
If Massa is indeed right and still wins the 2008 world title, there is a chance that Mercedes will open a similar battle for the 2021 world title, which was won by Max Verstappen. The difference is that Mercedes in Abu Dhabi was aware of all the facts and ultimately chose not to take legal action in the days after the race.
Contract negotiation with Hamilton
In the press conference for team bosses, Wolff was also asked about the contract negotiations with his two drivers, who both recently signed until 2025. While the negotiations with George Russell required relatively little work, things were apparently different with Hamilton. ‘Lewis is a very competitive person, both in and outside the car. He has a good commercial brain, and he is now in the final phase of his Formula 1 career, so there were other things that needed to be discussed,” Wolff seems to indicate that Hamilton wanted to get the most out of him financially to fetch.’
Verstappen can take his eleventh win in a row this weekend! Also betting on F1? Register now at JACKS and receive 60 euros in free bets! If you play responsibly, you keep it fun. What does gambling cost you? Stop on time, 18+
