© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius shoots down rumours that his relationship with Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff is strained.
There have been rumours during the Formula 1 winter break that Daimler might be reconsidering its participation in Formula 1 beyond 2020. The theory was further backed by rumours that Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff, whose contract with Mercedes expires at the end of 2020, was involved in an internal feud with Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius.
The rumour has been previously quashed by Wolff himself and now Kallenius is also denying any bad blood.
“Well, not everything you read in the media is true,” Kallenius told Sky F1.
“Toto and I are very close. We speak quite often. I’m very happy to be here and support the team after all the hard work that they have done over the winter.”
Kallenius went even further and explained how Mercedes intends to keep its F1 operation sustainable.
“I think there are two things that are very important for the future of Formula 1. It’s on the one hand to reduce the cost basis, and a lot of work has gone into that.
“We have been instrumental in defining what that new cost basis should look like, which will make the sport more financially robust.
“The other thing is we have the best hybrid technology in the world in Formula 1. We can take that forward towards a CO2 neutral sport, all together.
“We have also presented a plan how we step-by-step will make this more sustainable. Those two things, financial sustainability and CO2 neutrality: that is a good future for F1 and Mercedes in F1.”
