Wolff lashes out at Binotto for 'bullshit' engine story

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff didn't hold back his criticism of his Ferrari counterpart Mattia Binotto, accusing the Swiss of peddling "another bullshit story" regarding the technical directives released last year by the FIA.

In Hungary, Binotto admitted that the TDs published by F1's governing body in the latter part of the 2019 season had impacted Ferrari's engine output but also the performance of its rivals' power unit.

But the Scuderia boss' words - which conveniently did not reference the confidential agreement reached by the FIA and Ferrari earlier this year over the latter's engine horseplay in 2019 - did not go down well with Wolff who took aim at Binotto's clumsy attempt to mask the truth.

Ferrari admits FIA technical directives hit engine performance

"Another complete bullshit story, technical directives… There's a clear regulation on power units," said Wolff.

"There have been clarifications in Austin, what is allowed to do or not, which were important, but nothing that was in any way surprising because if you comply to the regulations that was anyway clear."

Wolff said Ferrari's explanations were rather "ironic" given that Ferrari's spectacular engine advances in 2019 had forced Mercedes to push its own development to "burnout" levels, the German manufacturer subsequently achieving significant gains contrary to Binotto's assumption.

"I think the irony of the story is that we were pushed by some of our competitors to absolutely new levels," Wolff said.

"It brought us to almost burnout last year, to develop and innovate in a way to be competitive on track.

"And here we go, I think we made a substantial jump in performance from 2019 to 2020. Because we needed to last year, and that is a little bit ironic for me."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.