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Mercedes not bulletproof: 'In terms of engines you can blame Wolff'

Mercedes not bulletproof: 'In terms of engines you can blame Wolff'

04-10-2021 18:38 Last update: 20:19
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GPblog.com

The title fight between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing also continues off the track. Team bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner are constantly hitting out at each other. In the new episode of Slipstream, Allard Kalff and Kees van de Grint discuss the situation in the title fight. According to them, the situation with Mercedes has changed a lot this year.

"I love it so much, we have a battle between two teams and like little kids they're chasing each other down. For Toto Wolff a completely different situation, suddenly it's not within his team that the World Championship will be decided. That crazy Dutchman who does all sorts of things they don't expect, Christian Horner who throws oil on the fire every now and then. The man who throws the most oil on the fire of course is Helmut Marko. I like it, it's all part of the game", Kalff starts in the new episode.

Van de Grint disagrees. "Maybe that's part of the present time, but we watch motorsport for the racing and I think it's nice when Hamilton and Verstappen because it's all about those two because the rest is not competing for the title, have to fight it out together on the track. All that other talk, now Toto Wolff is not a good manager says Horner, because he inherited the team. Now let's forget all that stuff and just concentrate. Let's hope we get a nice fierce battle in those last few races we have left."

'Mercedes is no longer bulletproof'

In recent years, Mercedes have had no real challenge from other teams for the title. With Red Bull's competitive car, Max Verstappen can make things difficult for the German team. "It's true that the situation with Mercedes has changed, because the last seven, eight years they could decide it among themselves. Not anymore now and that's just great for the sport", Van de Grint believes.

"They are not totally 100% bulletproof anymore", says Kalff. "I think if you can blame Wolff for anything, it's the engine area. For one reason or another, they lost their best man, that's a fact. Now they have to go to the limit with a slightly different concept. That can cause worries, where I also take those comments with a small grain of salt because of course, that's that game again. Hamilton is worried, but we will see about that first", Van de Grint adds.