Red Bull Racing are the big winners of the Formula 1 weekend. Their star driver in Max Verstappen emerged victorious in the renowned Monaco Grand Prix.
Not only that, but Sergio Perez managed to lock down 4th place. Checo was just a second off of McLaren's Lando Norris and potentially sharing a podium with his Red Bull teammate. While Christian Horner was definitely elated at the F1 results, he probably drew even more pleasure in being able to dunk on Mercedes, and consequently his contemporary in Toto Wolff.
Red Bull's win over Mercedes isn't just one for this weekend, but rather something behind the scenes that drew a rather interesting reaction from Wolff himself. With Honda pulling out as the F1 engine provider of Red Bull, instead of looking for help from rival teams, they're starting their own – and poaching Mercedes personnel to do it.
Wolff couldn't help but react to the news, via Motorsport-Total.com
Wolff says that’s a “clever” move from Red Bull, who have also left the door open to bringing in another manufacturer down the line.
“What Red Bull or Christian does is really clever,” he told Motorsport-Total.com, “on the one hand relying on your own power and setting up an engine department, while being able to fall back on Honda know-how and IP.
“Without closing the door to win a large automobile manufacturer as a partner, which of course also benefits from the learning curve that Red Bull now has.”
The bossman for the Mercedes team that's dominated Formula 1 for nearly a decade threw some shade at the fact some might be leaving just to hunt for a bigger payday. In a move that sounded just like your local employer's HR department, Wolff even called working for Mercedes “lots of fun.”
“If you lose someone because of the money,” he said, “then it may be important to remember what the core force consists of and which values are important – and not just the next best pay cheque.
“I think that we are a really good employer. That it is a place where there is high pressure, but also lots of fun, high fun, and we can be proud of that and we have to rely on that. And then it will always give a back and forth.”
It'll be interesting to see how this shifts the power dynamics within Formula 1 in the years to come.
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