Toto Wolff’s insult aimed at Max Verstappen after the Spanish Grand Prix has angered Italian taxi drivers who have responded to the Formula 1 team principal’s jibe.
Verstappen’s aggressive racing style has once again come under scrutiny, this time after a collision with George Russell where the champion appeared to purposefully drive into the Mercedes star.
The action resulted in a 10-second time penalty, three penalty points and a comparison to Italian ‘taxi drivers’ from Wolff, a comment that has been met with a defiant response from those in the profession in a report from Corriere della Sera.
“A banal cliche, we are the first ones who don’t want to have accidents, otherwise we lose our working day,” one driver Alessandro V said, according to the above publication.
Another added: “I would like to see those drivers drive like us among construction sites, traffic, scooters, golf carts. Rome is a jungle these days, not Formula 1 tracks.”
A third driver even mocked Mercedes’ lack of performance in 2025, as they defended their profession and said: “We drive like a Mercedes since it goes 30 miles an hour like us.”
Is Wolff fair to criticise Verstappen?
Verstappen’s flash of frustration at the Spanish GP has been condemned by commentators and drivers alike, with Nico Rosberg even calling for the Dutchman to be disqualified after the race.
Following the three additional penalty points added to his licence, Verstappen will have to be especially careful not to pick up an extra point in Canada or Austria, or else he will have to serve a race ban.
In the end however, Verstappen’s move on Russell ruined his own race, demoting him down to P10, meaning he only had one point to show for himself from Barcelona, further harming his chances in the 2025 world drivers’ title fight.
Despite Verstappen’s move on Russell, the Brit finished the race in fourth, and has narrowed his gap in the standings to the champion, where 26 points now separate the two fierce rivals.
