Wolff: Financial violations are very serious

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff summarized the results of Friday’s practice at the Singapore circuit, but also touched on a very serious topic that is exciting the Formula 1 paddock these days..

Q: How would you react to the results of the training?
Toto Wolff: Racers aren’t very happy with the machines, but overall we don’t lose much to the leaders. Both said the ground clearance had been chosen incorrectly, the suspension was too stiff – even from the side it was obvious, for example in turn 7, that our W13s couldn’t handle getting in very well, although at some stage of braking everything was back to normal.

Q: What are the engineers saying about the upcoming race?
Toto Wolff: We assumed that this track would suit our car better than the previous one, but we didn’t know how much bumps on the road surface would affect the behaviour. I think we will try to fight for pole position, although Red Bull had some problems today. I don’t know if it has to do with settings or something else.

Our long series of circles looked pretty good – compared to the one Carlos Sainz rode. But we have not yet seen what pace Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen are capable of.

Q: The paddock is full of rumors that two teams are suspected of overspending. As already confirmed by the FIA, the analysis of the 2021 reports provided by all championship participants will be completed and if violations are confirmed, the sanctions provided for in the regulations will be applied. Do you know anything about these violations?
Toto Wolff: It’s funny, but Christian Horner assures he doesn’t know what it’s about, even though the federation has been investigating for several months. Maybe he’s not communicating with his CFO? (chuckles) All teams go through a detailed audit process and we understand that one team has committed minor violations of a more procedural nature.

Another made a significant cost overrun and the investigation is still ongoing. It’s not a secret to anyone in the paddock. The FIA ​​has put in place a serious system to verify compliance with the financial regulations and teams will be issued special certificates confirming compliance with these regulations.

If someone has violated these, the case is referred to an expert committee, composed of independent arbitrators, who must rule and determine the sanctions to be imposed. But the crucial point is that if you spend too much in 2021, you will have an advantage in 2022 and get it in 2023.

If it is true that Red Bull has made and homologated a lightweight chassis this year, they can use it next season. In fact, this is a slew of events that can and will influence the outcome of three championships in a row.

Q: Is this really a serious story that could attract general attention, or are they just political games typical of Formula 1?
Toto Wolff: All this is very serious. For example, we have to use used spare parts, so the machines are not in the condition we would like to achieve and we are not doing the development that we could. We had to lay off more than 40 employees – in general we have to solve the most difficult tasks to meet the budget cap.

We had to restructure the budget, replan everything, and I don’t even know how much it affected, but it’s tens of millions. If someone hasn’t done this or has spent too much, then every extra million will yield a very significant benefit.

Q: What can be the way out of this situation? Will you demand a revision of the 2021 Championship results?
Toto Wolff: It’s not realistic. It is not my job to judge what the punishment should be. This will be done by an expert committee, they will have access to all information, but personally I would not want to take the place of these people, given the impact such violations can have on the Championship in these three years.