Fred Vasseur defends Toto Wolff and speaks out against Mercedes conspiracy theories. Fred Vasseur on the accusations Mercedes was deliberately slowing down Lewis Hamilton.

Those who follow and work in motorsport are well aware that conspiracy theories often linger in the paddocks of every championship. A distant cloud that draws closer when circumstances fit tailor-made theories.

In the team principals’ press conference held today in Barcelona, Toto Wolff was asked to comment on the anonymous email received last week by all accredited media with a permanent pass, which claimed that the Mercedes team was deliberately slowing down Lewis Hamilton, ‘guilty’ of leaving the team to join Ferrari.

After confirming that he had reported everything to the British authorities, Toto Wolff condemned the severity of the anonymous actions (“They are cowards hiding”) and then addressed the content of the email.

“It is irrational,” he explained. “We are here to win, to do our best, and in this particular case, we are talking about a driver with whom we have had the privilege of working and winning. Lewis is a person of great personality and professionalism, but like everyone, he can go through ups and downs, like any other athlete. I fully respect the reasons that convinced him to go to Ferrari. There is no resentment and no bad feelings. The interaction within the team is positive, and any comment from the outside about what happens within the team is simply wrong.”

At the end of Toto Wolff’s speech, Fred Vasseur spontaneously took the floor to share his view on the matter. The Ferrari team principal’s comment was met with great approval from those present.

“Putting aside my relationship with Toto,” he explained, “when we talk about a Formula 1 team, we must consider that it is a company made up of 1,500 people working day and night, pushing hard on all fronts. At this time, everyone is working at their maximum to bring technical updates to the track, and there are great efforts behind what we see.” – the French manager pointed out.

“In this scenario, how can anyone imagine a team voluntarily choosing not to perform well with one of its cars? It is a completely irrational hypothesis. No one in the paddock could do or think such a thing. We are fighting for the championship, and every weekend we try to score one more point than our opponents. How can anyone imagine a team deciding ‘OK, let’s avoid earning points with Lewis’? In my view, we are dealing with a completely irrational perspective.” – the Ferrari team principal concluded during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.