Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali says the relationship between Red Bull and Mercedes “must be recovered” after the acrimony between them at times in 2021.
Team principals Toto Wolff and Christian Horner have been engaged in a season-long war of words that has spanned protests against each other’s cars, barbs sent in each other’s directions and heated interviews during the fight between them for both championships.
Wolff insisted previously the respect for each other would return after the season had ended, but both team bosses have acknowledged they are different people with different management styles, so that respect is unlikely to become a full-blown friendship any time soon.
Speaking as he received the Lorenzo Bandini Award in Italy, Former Ferrari team Principal spoke about how he hopes to see the civility between the two front-running teams restored moving forward.
“Those who live with certainties mean they sleep well,” Domenicali quipped when asked about how the two teams will interact with each other in 2022.
“But we have many doubts and we have to face them. We have issues that will eventually have to be managed.
“We will have to evaluate day-by-day the relationship that must be recovered between Red Bull and Mercedes to avoid the personal clashes we have seen that serve no benefit.”
Regarding the controversial decisions that have been made in Abu Dhabi, Domenicali said this is something the newly elected FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem will have to deal with.
“We have already spoken with the president. We talked about the priorities he will have to face, and there are many.
“But, at this stage, it is right to remain silent so as not to create further controversy in an area that was very overheated.
“But I would like to say that we come from an extraordinary season, followed by more than two billion people. The last Abu Dhabi GP was the most followed sporting event in 2021.
“These are stratospheric numbers that we must be proud of,” concluded the Italian.
