Toto Wolff has strongly denied accusations of Mercedes bias in the title battle between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell this season, labelling such theories as “brainless” and “nonsensical.”
Antonelli looks set to become Formula 1’s youngest champion before the end of this year and currently holds a lead of 84 points over teammate Russell in the standings.
Russell’s title chances have taken multiple hits due to bad luck and reliability issues this season, which has led to suggestions -- largely on social media -- that Mercedes is deliberately compromising its driver.
Wolff said he had seen the accusations of Antonelli bias online, which led to an explosive response during a press conference ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
“They’re brainless, whoever thinks that,” Wolff said “I mean, it’s completely nonsensical. We’ve had it in the past with Lewis [Hamilton] fans.
“I mean, literally, I don’t know what’s going on. Do they think I have a button and that says George engine failure now or disadvantaging one driver against the other when we’re fighting for a constructor championship, when we’ve always had the mindset of providing everybody equal material. But I guess this may be where social media goes today.
“People hide behind their screens and then they lash out. There’s a lot of polarisation going on. And sometimes I read what people write, I find it hilarious.
“These people really contribute to my entertainment when they’re abusing the team or myself. I’m Satan, I’ve heard. So, yeah, overall, funny.”
Wolff said anyone who believes that Mercedes has deliberately compromised Russell should stop following Formula 1 and instead watch children’s TV shows.
“But really, zero understanding and respect for people who come up with these thing,” he added.
“They should rather than watching Formula 1, they should do Teletubbies or I don’t know, some Mickey Mouse.”
Wolff, who joined Mercedes in 2013 from Williams and was team principal during three seasons of intense title battles between teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, insisted fairness across the garage divide has always been a key factor of his leadership.
He revealed his policy on managing drivers was partly rooted in a conversation with four-time world champion Alain Prost, who had a famously bitter rivalry with Ayrton Senna while they were teammates at McLaren in the late 1980s.
“I’ve always tried, since I came into Formula 1, even in my Williams days, to be the most balanced and most transparent with the drivers,” he said.
“I have told this story before, but I remember being a complete rookie and running into Alain Prost on the grid of a race, and I said, just out of interest, why did it go so wrong between you and Senna? And he said, ‘because we never knew what the team was about. You felt that you were the flavour of the month at one time, and then two months later, you thought the politics were going against you. There were different situations where you had the feeling that you’re really not wanted.’
“So, I took it as my challenge to keep it always balanced. And it was not easy with Lewis and Nico back in the day, and that’s why people can think what they want, but the integrity in that respect is something that’s important for me, and the drivers know it.”
Wolff said he has a strong connection with both Antonelli and Russell, adding that he and his wife Susie regularly spend time with Russell and his fiancée Carmen Mundt away from the circuit.
“We have had Kimi since he was 11. He’s an integral part of the team. It is very nice to see him grow, be in a position now that he’s fighting for a championship at such a young age, the talent he has. And then on the other side, George, who’s been with us since he was 17, someone that I feel a lot of emotions for and compassion. We are very close.
“We’re spending time with Carmen and Susie off the track with each other. If people would see that we’re travelling together, we’re having coffee in the same coffee shop, we’re going to the gym, that’s why it’s pretty annoying to have some lunatics that have no understanding really about how relationships work coming up with these kind of accusations. So, I don’t pay any attention to this.
“Most important is that George knows how the team is, and Kimi knows, and we will always try to give them equal opportunity.”