Wolff denounces criticism of Sainz F1 incident: "That was nothing"

The Grand Prix weekend in Las Vegas got off to a false start with the cancelled first free practice, but Sunday's Formula 1 race made up for the suffering. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff still believes that the incident with the detached cover, which caused major damage to Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, was "nothing to worry about".

Lewis Hamilton already took a hard stance on the critics of the Las Vegas GP, of which Max Verstappen was also one. The Red Bull Racing driver seemed to have revised his opinion somewhat after his hard-fought victory at the Las Vegas Street Circuit when he sang 'Viva Las Vegas' by Elvis Presley over the team radio.

Wolff finds criticism exaggerated

Wolff himself drew extremely harsh criticism at the press conference, which took place shortly after the cancelled FP1. He felt that people were making a mountain out of a molehill and was convinced that the incident would be forgotten the next day. Verstappen said he would have reacted differently if it had involved one of his own cars.

Even after the F1 race, Wolff dismissed the incident from the first free practice session. "The drain cover was nothing, like I said," he is quoted by Sky Sports. "Lots of things that were said look a little bit out of proportion or too negative because we are leaving Las Vegas after a great weekend."

"When you look back on Sunday: spectacular race, great audiences, mega event. I think some good racing at the front. That's what I will remember. An inaugural Las Vegas race that ticked all the boxes," said the Mercedes team boss.