The thing that will have the FIA worried is the deadline for teams to sign the new Concorde agreement for 2021. With the deadline set on the 12th of August, there are still a good number of teams that aren’t too happy about the terms of the new agreement. One of the teams that are yet to be satisfied is Mercedes.
The 2021 Concorde deal aims to make the sport fairer and more competitive. They aim to bring this about by having revenue distribution in a more equitable fashion. While the likes of McLaren and Ferrari seem to be happy with what’s being offered, Mercedes are definitely not.
The Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, spoke to Sky Sports after Friday’s FP2 for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. He said, “I think that most of the team, if not 90% are of the opinion that it needs cleaning up.”
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Mercedes boss wants the other teams to stick to what they say
Wolff accuses the other F1 teams of putting up a two-faced nature. He says, “There are clauses that are critical that needs to be discussed. (Especially) around governance and critical aspects, but we are not really able to engage.”
“Some of these guys, when they come on camera, they are up the ar** of the commercial right holder (Liberty Media). But when we have them in the meeting they are revved up and then they are the loudest. So I guess it’s about manning up and expressing your opinion.”
The Mercedes team principal merely wants his rivals to stick to what they say. The matter of each team picking an opinion and sticking to it will be crucial for the future of the sport. Whatever grievances they have with the new agreement needs to be ironed out ASAP.
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Meanwhile, coming to matters of racing importance, Mercedes look well set for another weekend of domination. Having topped the timesheets in all free practice sessions, the battle for victory at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix is most likely to take place between the two Mercedes drivers i.e Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
Can anyone stop them? Highly unlikely, but perhaps like last weekend, the track and the tires might get a big say.
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Source: YouTube.com