While Red Bull has questioned the legality of the McLaren MCL39, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff assumes that the British racing team operates within the regulations. Moreover, he believes it is incorrect to accuse competitors of cheating just because they perform better. When Mercedes was the benchmark in Formula 1 for many years, the team was often the target of criticism from Red Bull.
The recent disagreement between Red Bull and McLaren arose due to the superior tyre management of the MCL39. This was painfully evident during the recent Miami Grand Prix, where it was clear that the McLaren team had an advantage in this area. While several drivers complained about tyre temperatures and rapid degradation of the Pirelli rubber, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished with a significant lead. Red Bull had previously suspected McLaren of injecting a small amount of water into the tyres to improve cooling.
However, tyre supplier Pirelli found no evidence to support this, although this did little to quell Red Bull’s suspicions. According to Auto Motor und Sport, the Austrian team even used thermal cameras during the Miami race weekend to measure the tyre temperature of the MCL39 during pit stops. Meanwhile, McLaren CEO Zak Brown made a humorous statement – during the first free practice, he drank from a bottle labelled ‘tyre water’.
Wolff: ‘McLaren Team is Honest’
Toto Wolff has meanwhile spoken out in favor of McLaren. “The team around Zak Brown, Andrea Stella, and Rob Marshall – these are good people with integrity,” he declared to the media in Miami. “In the past, we also sometimes said, ‘Let’s see if everyone is following the rules,’ but I strongly doubt that there is any foul play here. That car has simply been excellently developed,” Wolff said about the MCL39. “They understand much better how to handle their tires, and in my opinion, they do so in a completely legitimate way.”
“Moreover, it is not the right attitude from the team management to accuse someone just because they perform better,” Wolff sneered towards his colleagues at Red Bull. “We just need to get better.” The Austrian admitted that Mercedes is currently suffering more from tire wear than both McLaren and Red Bull. “In a long run, we are just not good with the tires,” he explained. “McLaren proves that it can be done, and to a certain extent, Red Bull is also doing better. I think we are still very good at what we do, but McLaren is just doing an excellent job at the moment.”
