Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and his Ferrari counterpart Frederic Vasseur lost their cool during a press conference in Las Vegas; watch every session from the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP live on Sky Sports from this Friday at 9.30am, with lights out on Sunday at 1pm
Last Updated: 23/11/23 3:08pm
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Toto Wolff defended the Las Vegas track and F1 organisers saying it’s not a ‘black eye’ for the sport after a drain cover damage ended FP1 early.
Toto Wolff defended the Las Vegas track and F1 organisers saying it’s not a ‘black eye’ for the sport after a drain cover damage ended FP1 early.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and his Ferrari counterpart Frederic Vasseur have been given formal warnings by Formula 1 stewards for using foul language during a press conference at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The bad-tempered exchanges occurred in the same press conference, shortly after the opening practice section in Las Vegas had been cancelled due to a faulty water valve cover coming out of the ground and causing damage to Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
Vasseur was furious at the damage to Sainz’s car, which would ultimately lead to a 10-place grid penalty for the Spaniard for exceeding his allowance of engine parts, and the Ferrari boss reacted angrily when the interviewer attempted to move onto a more generic topic.
Wolff, meanwhile, was responding to being asked whether the incident had been “a black eye” for F1, when an interjection from another journalist provoked an angry response.
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The Las Vegas Grand Prix Practice One was suspended after eight minutes due to a track defect that forced Carlos Sainz to stop his car.
With F1 having now moved onto Abu Dhabi for the season finale, the duo were summoned to the stewards at the event on Thursday to explain their actions.
Both were found to have used “unacceptable” language that “is not consistent with the values defended by the FIA”, but avoided more severe punishment due to extenuating circumstances.
In Vasseur’s case, the stewards said: “The Team Principal was extremely upset and frustrated by the incident that had occurred in FP1 and that language such as this, by him, was not usual.”
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Frederic Vasseur fumed in the team principal news conference, describing the damage sustained to Carlos Sainz’s car as ‘just unacceptable’ and saying that ‘this will cost us a fortune’.
While in Wolff’s case, the stewards said: “Based on the submission from the Team Principal, the use of the language concerned was in this case unusual and was provoked by an abrupt interjection during the Press Conference and therefore cannot be regarded as typical from this Team Principal.”
What did Wolff and Vasseur say in rants?
After explaining the damage that had been done to Sainz’s car, Vasseur lost his cool when being asked a general question about the success of the event as a whole.
“What Carlos said was he hit something on track and didn’t know exactly what it was. We completely damaged the monocoque, engine and battery. It’s just unacceptable,” said Vasseur.
“We f***** up the session for Carlos and he won’t be part of FP2, that’s for sure, because we have to change the chassis and set up the car. The show is the show and everything is going well but it’s unacceptable for F1 today.”
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Carlos Sainz says he is in ‘disbelief’ after receiving a 10-place grid drop for his Ferrari due to a damage that was out of his control at the Las Vegas GP.
Wolff began answering a question from a journalist regarding the damage that the incident could do to F1’s image, when another journalist interjected questioning his defence of the event.
“It’s completely ridiculous, completely ridiculous,” Wolff said. “FP1 – how can you even dare trying to talk bad about the event that sets the new standards, new standards to everything.
“And then you’re speaking about a drain ****ing cover that’s been undone. That has happened before, that’s nothing. It’s FP1. Give credit to the people that have set up this Grand Prix, that have made this sport much bigger than it ever was.
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Craig Slater describes how drain covers were forced up and did damage to Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari during P1 of the Las Vegas GP.
“Have you ever spoken good about someone and written a good word? You should about all these people that have been out here. Liberty has done an awesome job and just because in FP1 a drain cover has become undone, we shouldn’t be moaning.
“The car is broken. That’s really a shame for Carlos. It could have been dangerous. So between the FIA and the track, everybody needs to analyse how we can make sure that this is not happening again.
“But talking here about the black eye for the sport on a Thursday evening, nobody watches that in European time anyway.”
Sky Sports F1’s live Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday November 24
- 7am: F2 Practice
- 9am: Abu Dhabi GP Practice One (session starts at 9.30am)
- 10.55pm: F2 Qualifying
- 12.45pm: Abu Dhabi GP Practice Two (session starts at 1pm)
- 2.15pm: The F1 Show
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Sky F1’s Anthony Davidson takes a look at the Yas Marina Circuit ahead of this weekend’s final race of the season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Saturday November 25
- 10.15am: Abu Dhabi GP Practice Three (session starts at 10.30am)
- 12.15pm: F2 Sprint
- 1.15pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying build-up
- 2pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying
- 4pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday November 26
- 9.10am: F2 Feature Race
- 11.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday Abu Dhabi GP build-up
- 1pm: The ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
- 3pm: Chequered Flag: Abu Dhabi GP reaction
- 4pm: Ted’s Notebook
After the thrills of Las Vegas, Formula 1 heads to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit for the 2023 season finale and another stunning spectacle under the lights. Watch the Abu Dhabi weekend live on Sky Sports F1, with lights out on Sunday at 1pm. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW