“Rules are the rules” - Mercedes boss did not 'shed a tear' for Michael Masi

Mercedes Executive Director Toto Wolff refused to shed a tear when an RTL reporter questioned him about Michael Masi's sacking. The Austrian also spoke with Spanish newspaper Marca, stating that the rules preceded any pressure the race director was under at the Abu Dhabi GP.

Speaking to Marca, the Silver Arrows chief refused to fathom the pressure Masi was under in Abu Dhabi, saying rules did not precede entertainment. Referring to the F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, the Mercedes boss added that the Italian is a racing purist who does not interfere between races to boost the entertainment quotient. Wolff said:

“Stefano Domenicali (Formula 1 CEO(, for example, is a real racer and would not be interested in interfering in races just for the sake of entertainment. I can’t estimate what pressure the race director was under at that moment, but the rules are the rules.”

On being asked by an RTL reporter if he shed any tear for Masi, the Austrian replied in the negative:

“No.”

Mercedes have been accused of pressuring the FIA to sack the race director after a heartbreaking end to their 2021 driver title campaign. However the team have been adamant about seeking change for the sake of sporting fairnerss, demanding definitive action from the regulatory body.

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Mercedes are considering emulating Red Bull F1 team’s sidepods

The Silver Arrows technical director Mike Elliott has said that the team are considering emulating Red Bull F1's radical sidepod design for the W13. The Milton Keynes squad revealed their RB18 challenger on the first day of the test, while their original car launch featured more of a livery reveal.

Speaking on an F1 YouTube video, Elliott said:

“The most visually different I think are the sidepods that Red Bull Racing have come up with. Looks interesting, so we’ll go and have a think about that.”

The sidepods of the RB18 car have intrigued many, including the reigning world champions, as they feature a completely different design philosophy compared with the rest of the teams.