Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff Acknowledges Red Bull’s Significant Contribution Amidst Ownership Controversy
In the midst of the controversy surrounding Red Bull’s dual ownership of two Formula 1 teams, Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff has acknowledged the significant contribution of the Milton Keynes outfit to the sport. Wolff’s comments come at a time when concerns have been raised about Red Bull’s close ties with its sister team RB, prompting calls for regulatory changes to ensure greater independence among constructors.
Over recent weeks, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the collaboration between Red Bull and RB, advocating for regulatory adjustments to enforce more autonomy for constructors. Brown’s concerns revolve around the extent to which RB utilizes parts from Red Bull within the current regulatory framework.
When questioned about the situation, Wolff emphasized that Red Bull has played a pivotal role in Formula 1, contributing not only through its performance on the track but also by financing a second team.
“I think there is a legacy situation with Red Bull that the sport owes them a lot,” stated Wolff. “They have two teams, they finance them. They have a great junior program, a track and lots of brand value, and so they’re not like any other smaller team.”
Wolff recognized the complexities at the shareholder level and highlighted the need for careful consideration of Red Bull’s substantial contribution to the sport.
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While acknowledging the necessity of assessing regulations, Wolff cautioned against entirely prohibiting collaboration in the future. He stressed the importance of defining regulations that strike a balance, ensuring the comfort of both smaller teams relying on collaboration, like Haas, and those operating independently.
“What we need to look at is the regulations – are the regulations robust enough? Are they policed well enough for us to be in a safe place or are we seeing some potential loopholes and what is it we need for 2026?” Wolff explained. “That is the main question – define regulations that make everyone comfortable with the situation from the small teams that use such collaboration, all the way to the teams that have no relationships to the big teams.”
