Wolff brushes off rumors of Mercedes departure after 2020

We felt the Toto was a bit burned. All these stories in the media that the factory stable Mercedes could lower the flag at the end of the 2020 season. 

So the team boss took advantage of the official presentation of the new 2020 livery of the future W11, a consequence of the arrival of INEOS as main partner, to set the record straight. 

« La F1 offers a superb marketing platform for our brand, declared the Austrian. We build racing cars and production cars. 

The Grands Prix are a major vector for promoting hybrid engineering and technology. We don't communicate enough on this because we received a lot of criticism at the start of the turbo V6 era. This partnership clearly indicates that we intend to continue our successful adventure in F1 ».

These remarks follow the firm denial recently made by Daimler CEO Ola Källenius to the rumor of an urgent meeting of the board of directors of the German group to discuss the future of the F1 program.

« Sport retains this ability to make the news, including during the off-season when nothing happens on the track, continued Wolff. It's always sales to throw out these kinds of headlines. I remain surprised by the fact that a crazy person can write things on an internet page and make a big deal out of it. It's an article, it was nonsense ». 

Despite these encouraging statements regarding the future of Mercedes in Formula 1, the good Toto did not forget to gently put the pressure back on the pundits of Liberty Media by affirming that many subjects remained to be addressed within the framework of the negotiations of the future Concorde Agreements, which must govern sport from next year. 

« It is a complex and complicated process, made up of bilateral and trilateral contracts, added Wolff. As always, the devil is in the details. I don't want to give you a deadline because there are still things to be done. There is a clear desire from all shareholders to complete this file before the 2021 season ».

Asked about his personal future and that of Lewis Hamilton, the main Mercedes team was evasive on the question. “ We want the fastest driver in the world and Lewis is looking for the best car, commented Wolff. This would be the logical continuation of the story. As for my role, it is different from other team bosses because I am also a shareholder. (30% of the team, Editor’s note). We are currently planning our long-term strategy with Daimler. We are currently negotiating so I don't want to reveal too many details. ». 

Suffice it to say that we are well on our way to another year of behind-the-scenes negotiations!