After Christian Horner again made mention of Mercedes when commenting on the problem of the quicKS in Formula 1, Toto Wolff made a point of answering back and debauched his rival - that he was "bored".
The old subject of kicks, discussed throughout the 2022 season due to the strength and surprise with which porpoising appeared in Formula 1 this year, is back. The topic had lost a bit of steam recently with the category's move to European racetracks, such as the Red Bull Ring and the Silverstone Circuit, which decrease the current car's kicks by the smoothness of the tracks - unlike on street circuits. However, a comment by Christian Horner again put the matter on fire.
The Red Bull boss, still at Le Castellet for the French GP won by Max Verstappen last Sunday (24), commented that "there is a strong lobby" for the FIA to change the rules with the championship in progress, "so that a certain team can run with its lower car and benefit from the concept" - clearly referring to Mercedes, which was the biggest loser of the new change.
Unsurprisingly, Toto Wolff - his counterpart at the German team - responded. According to the Austrian, Horner is suffering from a certain boredom for being at the front and leading the championship, so he is looking for things to do to entertain himself in F1. Furthermore, the Mercedes boss questioned whether the Briton is really trying to exert his influence.
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"I think he's just bored up front," debauched Wolff. "I don't know what he's referring to, because at the end of the day, we're all part of the same circus, we work with the same shareholders. Lobbying...isn't he lobbying? Does he sit in his office and not call anyone?" he questioned.
With some teams even threatening legal action to resolve the situation, Wolff put a damper on the situation and stated that he doesn't see the attitude as something tangible. According to him, should the change happen, it would be a way to strengthen health protection for the drivers.
"You wonder why they are fighting so hard against it," he noted. "I read in the media that it's not relevant, that it's not a big change, so why are they fighting so hard that they're threatening to file a lawsuit? No team is ever going to sue the FIA if the FIA decides to implement something for safety reasons. I think it's just posturing," he declined.
"There is a chronic problem in the cars that we didn't see here [in France], we didn't see in Austria or Silverstone, because those are the smoothest tracks of the year - but it hasn't just gone away," he assessed. "The cars are very stiff and bumpy, and if you ask the driver, you'll probably get a majority who, questioned anonymously, will confirm that," he revealed.
Finally, Wolff again repeated that the issue needs to be seen as a safety necessity, and not as a simple rule change to take advantage. Moreover, the boss admitted that it is normal to see the team that rides at the front trying to block any kind of change in the category, in order to stay as the first force.
"I think there has been a good discussion among the drivers, and there is also a scenario that nobody talks about. I think we'll see how far that goes," he pointed out. "It's not an issue of compromising with the rules, it's about the rules protecting the drivers, and if the cars are too stiff and bump too much, then let's do something about it already," he pointed out.
"Clearly, when you're in front, you want to make sure nothing changes," the Austrian admitted. "And when you're not in front, you want to make sure that a lot of things change," he closed.