Max Verstappen “was ok” with Toto Wolff’s ‘Wikipedia’ remark explanation, insists the Mercedes F1 honcho 

Toto Wolff has revealed that he reached out to Max Verstappen after his "Wikipedia" comments blew up over the internet months ago.

Max Verstappen took his 10th consecutive victory in the Italian Grand Prix, breaking the record held by four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel. In the aftermath of the event, however, the Mercedes team boss grabbed the headlines. He suggested he was not interested in such records stating they were "only interesting for Wikipedia, which nobody reads anyway".

Wolff clarified his comments two weeks later in Singapore. Ahead of the Brazilian GP, he admitted that he had texted Max Verstappen to explain what he meant and affirmed the three-time champion was 'OK' with the incident.

"I sent Max a message to explain and he was OK with it," Wolff said in conversation with De Telegraaf. "If you don't know the context, it seems like I don't recognise such a great record."

Toto Wolff expanded on his comments, mentioning former Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda's mindset, as the three-time F1 champion never chased records and trophies. Wolff also acknowledged that it wasn't the most intelligent thing he has said in his reign as a team principal.

"But the point was that Niki Lauda used to always laugh at records with us. He called it a relic of the past and always looked forward. That's the story behind it, but it wasn't the most intelligent thing I ever said," he added.

The comments line up with Wolff's earlier statement, where he said he shared the same mindset as Niki Lauda about stats and records.

"...But it’s always been my mindset. Something that I have taken from Niki – Niki gave his trophies away to get a free car wash. You won’t find a lot of memorabilia at my places either because those numbers never mattered to the two of us," he said to Formula1.com.

The Mercedes team boss also lauded his rival Red Bull and Max Verstappen's tremendous achievements.

---

Max Verstappen unlikely to help Sergio Perez secure second in the drivers' standings

While Max Verstappen has wrapped up the 2023 title, teammate Sergio Perez is still vulnerable to losing second in the standings to Lewis Hamilton. With three rounds left in the season, Perez has a 20-point advantage over the Brit.

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen in the US GP

Max Verstappen was asked if he would lend a helping hand to secure Red Bull's maiden 1-2 finish in the driver's standings. The Belgian-Dutch driver reckons that Checo is capable of doing it on his own.

"It shouldn't always be on me to get the points," he was quoted by BBC."I am confident in Checo that he can stay ahead because on average we have the faster car."

Shedding light on the farcical 2022 Brazilian GP, where Verstappen ignored team orders, he hopes such a situation doesn't repeat this year.

"Last year it wasn't really well spoken about before we got into the race weekend. Let's just hope we don't get into that situation; it is better for everyone."

Catch the Brazilian GP this Sunday, November 5, at 5:00 pm UTC (12:00 pm ET).