Why Toto Wolff apologised to Red Bull after final Abu Dhabi practice
Toto Wolff issued an apology to Red Bull after final practice.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff apologised to Red Bull after Kimi Antonelli crashed into Yuki Tsunoda during final practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Antonelli crashed into the side of Tsunoda’s Red Bull after being released from the Mercedes garage as both drivers prepared to head out for their final runs in FP3.
The incident caused damage to Tsunoda’s RB21 and prevented the Japanese driver from getting a soft tyre lap in at the end of final practice.
"First of all, I'm sorry for Yuki, because I think we damaged all of the good bits of his car. Was our mistake. We need to identify what happened," Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
"Not quite sure. But the session was grim at the beginning, but then I think George had a proper lap and that was good enough for P1. And with Kimi after the shunt in the pitlane, it was all messy, obviously. It's going to be OK."
Mercedes were fined €10,000 for the incident following a post-session investigation.
“The competitor of Car 12 conceded that the team was in a “bit of a rush” due to the prior red flag and also noted that there was no fault that could be attributed to the driver, as he was following the instructions of the team,” the stewards noted.
“The penalty applied is the same as that applied to a similar breach in this year’s Singapore Grand Prix.”
George Russell ended final practice in Abu Dhabi fastest ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
"Hopefully we can play in the front and tomorrow, you know, feature a bit,” Wolff added.
Mercedes are looking to secure second place in the constructors’ in Sunday’s season finale.
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