Mercedes Formula 1 team defends staff contract tactics
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has defended his Formula 1 team's policy surrounding staff contracts following criticism from Renault counterpart Cyril Abiteboul
Abiteboul said last year Mercedes is being "unfair" in the way it locks down staff to lengthy gardening leave spells to delay them switching to other F1 teams.
The Renault chief said the "aggressive" contractual terms are bad for F1 because they prevent the spreading of knowledge that keeps the grid competitive.
But Wolff defended Mercedes and suggested that Abiteboul's comments came about after Renault missed out on securing one of its staff.
"It is simply a matter of keeping the important parts of the organisation together to ensure stability," Wolff told Autosport.
"In this case, it was an employee who has just signed a new contract and whom Renault would have liked to see.
"That wasn't possible in that case because a replacement was missing."
Mercedes had a shake up of its senior personnel when Paddy Lowe left his executive director role to join Williams and James Allison then came to Brackley, having previously been at Ferrari, as technical director.
Wolff said the way the team has dealt with that change and succeeded in defending both the drivers' and constructors' championships for the fourth successive year proves Mercedes' strength and depth.
"It is the breadth of the team that is responsible for success," he said. "Durability had a great influence on success. The team we've put on has done a good job.
"Paddy has great qualities, but getting James Allison was the best decision we could have made.
"The success of a Formula 1 team is not the success of a single one - not of me and not of Niki [Lauda], nor of Ross [Brawn] or Norbert [Haug] - but rather the sum of the people who work together.
"We must create the framework conditions for them to succeed."
Previous article
Italy loses almost all free F1 TV coverage as RAI deal slashed
Next article
Stirling Moss retires from public life following serious illness
The other notable Monza escape that F1 should learn from
OPINION: The headlines were dominated by the Italian Grand Prix crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who had the halo to thank for avoiding potentially serious injury. But two days earlier, Formula 1 had a lucky escape with a Monza pitlane incident that could also have had grave consequences
How Monza only added more questions to F1's sprint race conundrum
With two sprint races under its belt, Formula 1 must now consider its options for them going forward. While they've helped deliver exciting racing on Sundays, the sprints themselves have been somewhat lacking - creating yet another conundrum for F1 to solve...
Who should Alfa Romeo sign for 2022's F1 season?
OPINION: With Valtteri Bottas already signed up for 2022, all eyes are on the race for the second seat at Alfa Romeo next year. Antonio Giovinazzi is the current incumbent, but faces a tough competition from appealing short and long-term prospects
The "forced break" that was key to Ricciardo's Monza excellence
OPINION: Daniel Ricciardo has long been considered one of Formula 1’s elite drivers. But his struggles at McLaren since switching from Renault for 2021 have been painful to watch at times. Yet he’s recovered to banish those memories with a famous Monza win – built on a critically important foundation
How Verstappen is ruining his F1 title battle with Hamilton
OPINION: The Italian GP clash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen followed a running theme in the 2021 Formula 1 title fight. Their close-quarters battles have often resulted in contact - and although Hamilton has shown a willingness to back off, Verstappen must learn to temper his aggression
Italian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Two drivers produced maximum-score performances as, for the second year in a row, Monza threw up an unpredictable result that left several others ruing what might have been
Why Ricciardo was set for Monza F1 triumph even without Verstappen/Hamilton crash
The clash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton was the major flashpoint the 2021 Italian Grand Prix will be remembered for. Yet by this point, race leader Daniel Ricciardo had already done the hard work that would put him in position to end his and McLaren's lengthy win droughts, on a memorable afternoon in Monza
Why Italian GP success is on for McLaren even if Verstappen dominates
For the second time in 2021, McLaren will line up for the start of a grand prix from the first row. It knows it has the chance of “glory” if things go well for Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris at the start of the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, but even if they just maintain their grid positions, signs from the rest of the Monza weekend suggest success is very possible for Formula 1’s other orange army
