Toto Wolff has once again cast uncertainty over Mercedes’ future in Formula 1 by slamming the proposed Concorde Agreement.
The commercial deal, which binds the teams, FIA, Liberty Media and other stakeholders, is set to expire after this year and a deadline of next Wednesday has been set for teams to commit to a new one.
During the lengthy negotiations, the German manufacturer has been very vocal at its unhappiness over some of the terms put forward by Liberty, who want to radically overhaul the structure implemented by Bernie Ecclestone.
And unsurprisingly, at a time when parent company Daimler is pushing to cut costs, money appears to be at the heart of Mercedes’ complaints.
“We from Mercedes, we made very clear that we are happy with a more equitable split of the prize fund. The way success is rewarded and possible for everybody, we agree to,” Wolff said on Friday.
“But we are, I would say, the biggest victim in terms of prize fund loss in all of that. Ferrari has maintained an advantageous position (through its historical bonus payment) and with Red Bull, it obviously balances out with AlphaTauri. So it’s us that are hurt the most.
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“I feel that Mercedes has contributed to the sport over the last years. We have, apart from being competitive on-track, we have the driver that has clearly the most global appeal,” he added.
“We feel that whilst being in those negotiations, we weren’t treated in the way we should have been.
“Therefore there is a bunch of open topics for us that are legal, commercial, and sporting. In our point of view, I don’t feel ready to sign a Concorde Agreement.”
Asked what Mercedes wants to reverse their current position, Wolff replied: “That depends on the other side.
“If you are willing to sit at a table, address the critical topics, discuss them, come to a compromise outcome, then it can go pretty fast. But I haven’t seen that approach.”
“Some of these guys, when they come on camera they are up the arse of the commercial rights holder, and then when we have the meeting they are revved up and they are the loudest,” Wolff said to Sky Sports.
“I guess it’s about manning up and expressing your opinion.
“We love this sport. We have core objectives that we share with Liberty and the FIA. We all want to stay in this for the best of the sport.”
