Little love was lost between Mercedes and Red Bull when bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner publicly clashed on several occasions
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The rivalry between F1 championship rivals Mercedes and Red Bull would not have been so ugly if the legendary racing driver Niki Lauda had still existed, claimed a high-ranking team member.
In the course of the season it got hot between the two champions, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner got involved several times.
It was a reflection of the tension on the track as the rivalry between title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen ended up turning into a full-blown feud.
It added an extra dimension to a tense title race that eventually ended with Mercedes being furious at how Verstappen had won the championship in Abu Dhabi under controversial circumstances.
Niki Lauda was a key figure at Mercedes in his later life
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Image:
Corbis via Getty Images)
The complaints of the Silver Arrows on this occasion, however, were directed more to the FIA and race director Michael Masi than to another pit lane dispute.
According to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, it would not have been so hot if Lauda had still been there to defuse the situation.
The legendary title holder was a partner and a very influential figure at Mercedes later in life until he died in 2019.
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Marko believes the three-time world champion would have been more level-headed in the whole situation and could have calmed things down.
“It wouldn’t have escalated with Niki Lauda,” the Austrian told ServusTV.
“It would have been difficult because he doesn’t like to lose either. But it would have been more relaxed.”
With tensions boiling at times and the season ending bitterly, there is every chance that both teams will pick up where they left off when they compete again in 2022.
Toto Wolff and Christian Horner were involved in a heated feud throughout the season
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Image:
Getty Images)
With this in mind, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has asked the team bosses to work on “recovering” relationships rather than deteriorating further.
“Those who live with certainty sleep well. But we have a lot of doubts and we have to face them. We have problems that have to be solved at some point,” he said.
“We have to evaluate the relationship that needs to be re-established between Red Bull and Mercedes every day to avoid the personal clashes that we have seen that are of no benefit.”
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