Italian taxi drivers issue Toto Wolff retort after 'road rage' comment

Taxi drivers from Rome have sharply criticised Mercedes boss Toto Wolff for a "road rage" comment he made in the aftermath of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Speaking to Sky Italia in the aftermath of Max Verstappen ramming into George Russell at Turn 5 in the closing stages of the Barcelona race, Wolff claimed that: "this is road rage, like the taxi drivers in Rome or Naples, there is a lot of aggression in the centre of Rome and Naples, without rules."

He later expanded on his comments to media, including RacingNews365, calling the move for which Verstappen earned a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points as "incomprehensible."

Whilst Naples appeared to brush off Wolff's comment, the same could not be said for their colleagues from the Eternal City. 

"Maybe it would be better if Wolff focused on [the performance] of his own team," the president of Rome's largest taxi association, Loreno Bittarelli told Corriere della Sera. 

Another boss, Nicola Di Giacobbe from Filt-Cgil claimed that: "we drive like a Mercedes since it only goes 30 miles an hour, just like us," although he did concede Rome had a problem with traffic.

A driver, Alessandro compared Rome to a "jungle" as drivers navigate their way around the sights of a modern capital city. 

"We are the ones who are first in not having accidents, otherwise we would lose our working day," he explained.

"I would like to see Formula 1 drivers manoeuvring around construction sites, scooters and golf carts the way we do. Rome is now a jungle, not a Formula 1 track."