Toto Wolff has admitted that, had the shoe been on the other foot at Silverstone, Mercedes would likely have responded similarly to Red Bull after the collision between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen that took the Dutch driver out of the race. Speaking to Germany's RTL in the days after the British Grand Prix, Wolff was asked about Mercedes' exuberant celebrations after Hamilton won the race after being given a penalty for knocking Verstappen out of the race. "Emotions ran high, of course. If we had been in Red Bull's shoes, we would probably have looked at the situation in a similar way," Wolff said. "The difference would be that we wouldn't be so quick to make accusations." Wolff, also speaking to Motorsport.com, explained that he felt the language used by Red Bull after the crash had made the situation too personal. “I think you can understand that from a competitors' point of view, the situation was upsetting,” he said. “I can understand that. Nevertheless, the language that was used, and making it so personal, was a level that we have not seen in this sport before. "We knew Max was doing well because his team principal, Christian Horner, had radioed to [Michael] Masi that his driver had crawled out of his wreckage, thank God, and that there were no injuries. We have adjusted our response accordingly," Wolff told RTL. But Wolff acknowledged that Red Bull are not likely to be interested in his explanation, given the circumstances. "We have to accept that everyone has a different opinion," he said. "Everyone has a different perspective and everyone has to communicate that in their own way. Maybe we would have done it differently, but I don't see it as criticism. Everyone should do what they think it's the right thing." As F1 heads to the final race before the summer break, the tensions between Mercedes and Red Bull are at an all-time high. Wolff doesn't seem particularly phased by that, and was asked about when he expects to get an invitation to go for a glass of wine with his compatriot Helmut Marko again. "I've never had a glass of wine with Dr. Marko and I can think of a few other people I'd rather have a glass of wine with," he laughed.
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