In the round-up: The FIA’s investigation into him and and his wife did “great damage”, says Toto Wolff
In brief
FIA’s short-lived investigation did “great damage” – Wolff
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said an investigation into him and his wife Susie which the FIA opened and quickly dropped last year is “not what you expect from the world of F1 in general.” The FIA announced last month it was looking into whether confidential information had been exchanged between an F1 team principal and a member of Formula One Management, then two days later declared no investigation was taking place.
“The investigation opened and closed in two days has caused great damage,” Wolff told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “If we want to make sport more and more professional, we must try to bring transparency where there is none and establish standards of the highest possible level.
“My position is this. I can’t speak for Susie but she is someone who doesn’t give up, she has a steely determination. It’s not the first time he has faced difficulties, and he will get to the bottom of every court. If one types ‘Susie Wolff’ on the web today, the investigation comes out as the first news: the bullet came from the rifle and can no longer go back inside.”
Newey ‘surprised’ by domination
Red Bull chief technology officer Adrian Newey admits he is surprised by his team’s dominance in recent seasons.
Red Bull’s cars, designed by Newey, have won 38 of 44 grands prix in the two seasons since the ground effect regulations revolution in 2022. However, Newer admits he did not expect the RB19 to be as dominant as it was.
“It’s a complete surprise,” Newey told Top Gear. “For the ’22 season we had the biggest regulation change on the chassis side since 1983, in terms of going back to venturi cars.
“We thought as we headed into the second year, with almost no regulation change over the winter and us running what is in effect an evolution car, that our advantage would be diminished, if not eradicated. Clearly that’s not how it’s panned out.”
RB20 rebrand wide of the mark
A report by a publication owned by Red Bull claiming they will rename their new car for the 2024 season in honour of Dietrich Mateschitz was retracted yesterday. SpeedWeek claimed the successor to the dominant RB19 will be called the DM01 as a mark of respect for their founder, who died in October 2022.
However the story was subsequently edited to remove references to the new…
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