Wolff trusts F1 and FOM to make the right call: 'Then don't go'
Photo: Race Pictures
Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.
Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff continues to trust Formula 1 and the FIA to make the right decision about whether it is safe to hold the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix this season.
"Stefano and Mohammed have been pretty clear about the situation that Formula 1 follows what the international guidelines are, whether there are travel restrictions, airlines not flying, any warnings in the region, the kind of feedback that local governments are making. So not only the promoters, but what the local governments are making. And this is what you need to rely on, in my opinion, and I'm fully with that," the Austrian team boss began in Brazil.
This weekend, the MotoGP grid travelled to Qatar. On Thursday, when asked about the situation, Ducati's Marc Marquez said: "I mean, I would like to be in another place. For that reason, I arrived on the latest flight possible, and I will leave on the earliest flight possible. But we are here, we are ready to race, and with full concentration." Moreover, Yamaha is boycotting the weekend completely.
Wolff: 'If you don't want to, don't go'
About that situation, Wolff added: "I think that if riders stand up, who know nothing geopolitically about what's going on, but have an audience that listens, I think that is something that creates media value. But I would have done the same as MotoGP management has done. You want to ride or drive, go. If you don't want to, don't go. It's as simple as that, and everybody can take their personal decisions on that, and I respect that."
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The Mercedes team boss continued: "Of course, you've got to be wary of what's happening in the next few days, a few weeks, and Stefano has his finger on the pulse to monitor that. If things were to get more dangerous and we would get that feedback, then he's going to be the first one, together with Mohammed, to protect the people that were meant to travel. So that's why I'm following their guidance.
Photo: Race Pictures
"From what I'm hearing internally, it hasn't been raised. It hasn't been a topic. But also there, if someone feels they don't feel comfortable, he or she doesn't feel comfortable travelling, then it's something that I would always respect. And maybe that's an opportunity to give somebody else a chance. It wouldn't change anything for the relationship. I've always respected that some people didn't want to go to certain Grands Prix, and that's how I see it at the moment."
Ferrari's Vasseur also trusts the decision-makers
Ferrari's Frederic Vasseur then added: "Yeah, as Toto said, I think that our organization is quite robust. I have full trust in the FIA and FOM and Stefano, and let's see what we will do. Concerning the point about whether we had questions internally, honestly, we are in the middle of nine races in 11 weeks.
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"Everybody is focused on the triple-header, and perhaps the topic will come to the table a bit later, but it's not the case today. In any case, we will respect the decision of the team member. If someone feels something and doesn't want to come, we will respect the decision. But so far, we have huge trust in our system, our organization, and we will see in the coming weeks," the Frenchman concluded.
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