Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has stated that his dig at Max Verstappen’s consecutive win record was not his most "intelligent" comment. Following Verstappen setting the new F1 record with his 10th Grand Prix win in a row last time out in Italy, Wolff suggested that the statistic was "for Wikipedia" when reflecting in the aftermath. The comment received backlash from fans, with Verstappen himself stating that Wolff’s remark was made because he was "pi**ed off" over Mercedes’ performance at Monza, with George Russell fifth and Lewis Hamilton sixth. Mercedes, who was once the dominant outfit in F1, has struggled to consistently fight at the front of the field since the introduction of new technical regulations last year, as Verstappen and Red Bull streak towards retaining their titles.
'Numbers never mattered to me'
Speaking to media including RacingNews365. in Singapore, Wolff has said that while his comment was perhaps not appropriate, he doesn’t get wrapped up in records and statistics. "Well, obviously when you look at the comment in the circumstance you can think: 'Was it the most intelligent thing I could’ve said?' Maybe not," Wolff explained. "It’s always been my mindset, it’s something I’ve taken from Niki [Lauda]. Niki gave his trophies away to get a free car wash. "You won’t find a lot of memorabilia in my place either because those numbers never mattered for the two of us. "Formula 1 is a meritocracy and I said it often during this year that only the best win World Championships and you need to recognise what a great job is being done there. "And at the end, they will take another big trophy and that is something that is the most valuable. The best person in the best car wins the World Championship."
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