TOTO WOLFF has been labelled “disingenuous” and “crass” for openly criticising this year’s Mercedes.
Wolff took the unusual step of writing off this year’s new design after just 60 minutes of qualifying in Bahrain.
APMercedes struggled on the opening weekend in Bahrain[/caption]
Lewis Hamilton, left, alongside Wolff, centre, and George RussellAFP
He claimed that the team had made an error by producing this year’s car, which lacked the pace of the Red Bulls, Ferraris and Aston Martins.
The Austrian promised to “sit down with the engineers and be totally non-dogmatic” as they aim to get back to winning ways.
But former F1 boss Eddie Jordan is adamant that Wolff should take the blame – not his team of designers.
He said: “He’s the CEO, he’s the boss. The buck stops with him. This is happening under his watch.
“To blame or criticise anybody in his design team is actually disingenuous. It’s really crass.
“I hate to hear that, because he must be a man, stand up and take it on the chin and say, ‘my team, my people, we have failed to get the job successfully done at this moment. However, there are times ahead that we’re looking forward to and we will be there much stronger than we were in 2022’.
“I think that Toto is strong enough, big enough and man enough to front this up and actually sort it out.”
Meanwhile, F1 chiefs are not in talks to hold a race in London – despite contradictory claims from a property developer.
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Plans have been drawn up to show a vast sports, leisure and entertainment complex in the Docklands area on the east side of London.
The developers have used F1 logos and associated brands in their images, however an F1 spokesman says they have not been sent any proposals or had any discussions with the developers who are trying to gain publicity.
The ambitious plans suggest the proposed track had 22 corners and had floating grandstands on the Thames that could cater for 95,000 spectators.
Silverstone is the only UK venue on the F1 calendar and has a contract in place until 2024.