2018 Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

[Schuttelberg]

Toto Wolff is feeling the heat. This is the first time he's under proper pressure from a rival team and he's thrown two of his employees under the bus in two weeks!

Who has he thrown under the bus this week? While I'm at it, who did he throw under the bus last week?

If you're going to say James Allison this week, I don't interpret it that way at all. Toto was in agreement with him. Toto was quoting him to echo his sentiment. I'm sure James would have rather not has name used in that context, however.

For question 2 (last week), if you're going to say James Vowles, I disagree with that as well. James stepped up on his own for those radio messages.

You got both the names right. I don't think from a management POV you need to stir the pot and create controversy. Clearly, they're in a championship fight which is on a knife edge at the moment and they need not bring unnecessary attention upon themselves.

Instead of calming Allison down who mind you said something privately to him, he echoed his sentiments in public domain. I don't think anyone with any common sense would remotely hint that the 'incidents' were intentional by the Ferrari cars. They did a mighty fine job of screwing their own races whenever they did make contact as well.

I for one did not believe it was necessary for JV to apologise in public domain. It doesn't do well for his confidence and it showed in the strategy side today. When people and specially good people mess up at work, your job as a boss is to protect them. If Vowels steps up on his own, it's exactly Toto's job description to prevent him from doing so.

Just to make it perfectly clear, I am a bit of a Lewis fan now (I promise you I can swear I'd never imagine myself to be one back in 2007) and while it's also not great of him to make such insinuating remarks I can get that he was hot under the collar having done 52 laps at 300 kmph and heart broken to have not won in front of his beloved fans.

What exactly is Toto's justification for this sort of outburst? I'll tell you- It's pressure. Genuine pressure and it's the first time he's facing the heat in his job. Sorry if you don't agree and believe me, I have seen sport long enough to know what it takes to be champions but the more I see of Mercedes, the more I believe that they're a great team with an outstanding couple of drivers led by the wrong bloke. It's just my opinion.

[zibby43]

Toto Wolff is feeling the heat. This is the first time he's under proper pressure from a rival team and he's thrown two of his employees under the bus in two weeks!

Who has he thrown under the bus this week? While I'm at it, who did he throw under the bus last week?

If you're going to say James Allison this week, I don't interpret it that way at all. Toto was in agreement with him. Toto was quoting him to echo his sentiment. I'm sure James would have rather not has name used in that context, however.

For question 2 (last week), if you're going to say James Vowles, I disagree with that as well. James stepped up on his own for those radio messages.

You got both the names right. I don't think from a management POV you need to stir the pot and create controversy. Clearly, they're in a championship fight which is on a knife edge at the moment and they need not bring unnecessary attention upon themselves.

Instead of calming Allison down who mind you said something privately to him, he echoed his sentiments in public domain. I don't think anyone with any common sense would remotely hint that the 'incidents' were intentional by the Ferrari cars. They did a mighty fine job of screwing their own races whenever they did make contact as well.

I for one did not believe it was necessary for JV to apologise in public domain. It doesn't do well for his confidence and it showed in the strategy side today. When people and specially good people mess up at work, your job as a boss is to protect them. If Vowels steps up on his own, it's exactly Toto's job description to prevent him from doing so.

Just to make it perfectly clear, I am a bit of a Lewis fan now (I promise you I can swear I'd never imagine myself to be one back in 2007) and while it's also not great of him to make such insinuating remarks I can get that he was hot under the collar having done 52 laps at 300 kmph and heart broken to have not won in front of his beloved fans.

What exactly is Toto's justification for this sort of outburst? I'll tell you- It's pressure. Genuine pressure and it's the first time he's facing the heat in his job. Sorry if you don't agree and believe me, I have seen sport long enough to know what it takes to be champions but the more I see of Mercedes, the more I believe that they're a great team with an outstanding couple of drivers led by the wrong bloke. It's just my opinion.

Let's make a few things clear: 1) I did not "downvote" your initial post that I replied to. Did you think it was me and then retaliate against my reply? My reply in which I respectfully asked questions, agreed with one of your points, and then explained my reasoning for disagreeing with other points?

I reported the incident to the staff, so I guess we'll find out. To be honest, I don't think it was you and I think your initial post was unfairly downvoted as well. There is flat-out cancerous behavior on this board today.

2) It's not a matter of believing you. It comes down to a massive misunderstanding over the expression "thrown under the bus."

The entire discussion you just had above re: Toto's management tactics, is an entirely separate discussion from the phraseology you used in your initial post.

In America, to throw someone under the bus is to make them the scapegoat and imply that they are to blame for a particular situation.

I don't see how Toto threw James Allison under the bus today. Whether it was appropriate to quote him is an entirely separate discussion, but Toto did not blame Allison or make him the scapegoat for anything.

[Schuttelberg]

Who has he thrown under the bus this week? While I'm at it, who did he throw under the bus last week?

If you're going to say James Allison this week, I don't interpret it that way at all. Toto was in agreement with him. Toto was quoting him to echo his sentiment. I'm sure James would have rather not has name used in that context, however.

For question 2 (last week), if you're going to say James Vowles, I disagree with that as well. James stepped up on his own for those radio messages.

You got both the names right. I don't think from a management POV you need to stir the pot and create controversy. Clearly, they're in a championship fight which is on a knife edge at the moment and they need not bring unnecessary attention upon themselves.

Instead of calming Allison down who mind you said something privately to him, he echoed his sentiments in public domain. I don't think anyone with any common sense would remotely hint that the 'incidents' were intentional by the Ferrari cars. They did a mighty fine job of screwing their own races whenever they did make contact as well.

I for one did not believe it was necessary for JV to apologise in public domain. It doesn't do well for his confidence and it showed in the strategy side today. When people and specially good people mess up at work, your job as a boss is to protect them. If Vowels steps up on his own, it's exactly Toto's job description to prevent him from doing so.

Just to make it perfectly clear, I am a bit of a Lewis fan now (I promise you I can swear I'd never imagine myself to be one back in 2007) and while it's also not great of him to make such insinuating remarks I can get that he was hot under the collar having done 52 laps at 300 kmph and heart broken to have not won in front of his beloved fans.

What exactly is Toto's justification for this sort of outburst? I'll tell you- It's pressure. Genuine pressure and it's the first time he's facing the heat in his job. Sorry if you don't agree and believe me, I have seen sport long enough to know what it takes to be champions but the more I see of Mercedes, the more I believe that they're a great team with an outstanding couple of drivers led by the wrong bloke. It's just my opinion.

Let's make a few things clear: 1) I did not "downvote" your initial post that I replied to. Did you think it was me and then retaliate against my reply? My reply in which I respectfully asked questions, agreed with one of your points, and then explained my reasoning for disagreeing with other points?

I reported the incident to the staff, so I guess we'll find out. To be honest, I don't think it was you and I think your initial post was unfairly downvoted as well. There is flat-out cancerous behavior on this board today.

2) It's not a matter of believing you. It comes down to a massive misunderstanding over the expression "thrown under the bus."

The entire discussion you just had above re: Toto's management tactics, is an entirely separate discussion from the phraseology you used in your initial post.

In America, to throw someone under the bus is to make them the scapegoat and imply that they are to blame for a particular situation.

I don't see how Toto threw James Allison under the bus today. Whether it was appropriate to quote him is an entirely separate discussion, but Toto did not blame Allison or make him the scapegoat for anything.

I'll give you an advice- Don't look for ratings on forums. Learning from discussions and fruitful debates that give you perspective are far better a reward.

I have already given you my reasons in detail about why I feel he was wrong today. Also, race day is generally a time where boards come alive. There's some rubbish but it makes you feel alive and well.

I've given you an upvote since I don't want you to be upset as it hardly changes my life. But, I fail to understand how you don't see the blunder Toto has made!

[mantikos]

Toto Wolff is feeling the heat. This is the first time he's under proper pressure from a rival team and he's thrown two of his employees under the bus in two weeks!

English must not be your first language if you think JA was thrown under the bus, and you must not have a lot of team management experience if you think standing up and owning your mistake promotes anything other than transparency and accountability - both of which are inspirational.

Also, if you think stirring the pot should be looked down upon and isn't becoming a leader - you must not think very highly of Christian Horner, I swear his official title has ----stirrer in there somewhere.

[Schuttelberg]

Toto Wolff is feeling the heat. This is the first time he's under proper pressure from a rival team and he's thrown two of his employees under the bus in two weeks!

English must not be your first language if you think JA was thrown under the bus, and you must not have a lot of team management experience if you think standing up and owning your mistake promotes anything other than transparency and accountability - both of which are inspirational.

Also, if you think stirring the pot should be looked down upon and isn't becoming a leader - you must not think very highly of Christian Horner, I swear his official title has ----stirrer in there somewhere.

First of all, no English isn't my first language and if you think ridiculing my linguistic skills gives you some sort of high ground in the argument then congrats. In general, I'm told my English language is just fine.

Secondly, I also see no rhyme or reason why I should give you a personal account of what I have done in team environments or do for a living. This is not about me, it's about a team in the sport we both watch and love.

Of course, accountability creates trust among workers and helps achieve goals for a company/team but this responsibility or accountability when failed is better to be told about in private. For example, I would not like to be told off about my failure in front of ten other people but a private lesson would motivate me to do better. It depends from person to person. If I were a boss, I definitely wouldn't have any of my employees announcing their errors on a public platform but only their achievements. Of course, these are all only my opinions. If you feel Wolff is doing a stellar job then I might not agree with your assessment but would still manage to respect it.

I don't know where I mentioned Horner so that part of the argument is lost on me. May be it's my english language.

[Sierra117]

Toto Wolff is feeling the heat. This is the first time he's under proper pressure from a rival team and he's thrown two of his employees under the bus in two weeks!

English must not be your first language if you think JA was thrown under the bus, and you must not have a lot of team management experience if you think standing up and owning your mistake promotes anything other than transparency and accountability - both of which are inspirational.

Also, if you think stirring the pot should be looked down upon and isn't becoming a leader - you must not think very highly of Christian Horner, I swear his official title has ----stirrer in there somewhere.

First of all, no English isn't my first language and if you think ridiculing my linguistic skills gives you some sort of high ground in the argument then congrats. In general, I'm told my English language is just fine.

Secondly, I also see no rhyme or reason why I should give you a personal account of what I have done in team environments or do for a living. This is not about me, it's about a team in the sport we both watch and love.

Of course, accountability creates trust among workers and helps achieve goals for a company/team but this responsibility or accountability when failed is better to be told about in private. For example, I would not like to be told off about my failure in front of ten other people but a private lesson would motivate me to do better. It depends from person to person. If I were a boss, I definitely wouldn't have any of my employees announcing their errors on a public platform but only their achievements. Of course, these are all only my opinions. If you feel Wolff is doing a stellar job then I might not agree with your assessment but would still manage to respect it.

I don't know where I mentioned Horner so that part of the argument is lost on me. May be it's my english language.

He didn't ridicule you

You don't usually have to talk about your personal life and experience but here you are talking about a highly successful team principal whose actions are in the public. Therefore you must provide something to support your argument. Toto has been in the game for years and knows how things work and he is the one who fully understands the dynamics specific to the team. What JV did was a brave thing to do and in my opinion it was correct. If he hadn't and it was only a private thing, people would say he's a coward for not publicly apologising. There's a reason why public apologies are so often asked for serious issues because they are the ultimate moves of honesty and accountability that can be referred back to. It also motivates one to try harder to never make a similar mistake. Perhaps for another type of JV, this wouldn't work. You said it yourself, "It depends from person to person" so what JV did was what he felt he needed to do. Therefore saying it shouldn't have happened is a moot point since ... "It depends from person to person"

Lastly, we all agree they shouldn't have insinuated that Ferrari did that on purpose. But this is F1, being cunning is the name of the game, so it's entirely expected for such statements to fly around no matter which team, especially considering the circumstances.

[JonoNic]

Any trackside fluid engineers here? I don't know who you are or what you do, but Toto is looking for you...

In all seriousness, what is this position exactly?

[Dazed1]

Toto Wolff is feeling the heat. This is the first time he's under proper pressure from a rival team and he's thrown two of his employees under the bus in two weeks!

Who has he thrown under the bus this week? While I'm at it, who did he throw under the bus last week?

If you're going to say James Allison this week, I don't interpret it that way at all. Toto was in agreement with him. Toto was quoting him to echo his sentiment. I'm sure James would have rather not has name used in that context, however.

For question 2 (last week), if you're going to say James Vowles, I disagree with that as well. James stepped up on his own for those radio messages.

They should apologise like Ferrari did after wrongly accusing Verstappen in Singapore last year.
Well, Ferrari didn't issue that apology yet, they are still working on the wording...

[Morteza]

[JonoNic]

Thanks

[Big Tea]

Any trackside fluid engineers here? I don't know who you are or what you do, but Toto is looking for you...

In all seriousness, what is this position exactly?

Bar man?
Hot and cold blowing experience preferred.

[M840TR]

Mercedes announce significant technical changes. Engineering director Aldo Costa and performance director Mark Ellis will leave their roles at end of season. Chief designer John Owen to replace Costa as head of engineering. Chief Vehicle Dynamicist Loic Serra to replace Ellis - Andrew Benson BBC

[Bill]

Benson is misleading people they are being reshuffled,they are not leaving,they will remain as consultants from 2019

[M840TR]

Benson is misleading people they are being reshuffled,they are not leaving,they will remain as consultants from 2019

They're leaving their roles

[Phil]

Toto Wolff is feeling the heat. This is the first time he's under proper pressure from a rival team and he's thrown two of his employees under the bus in two weeks!

I'd love to participate in the discussion, but unfortunately, I have no idea what Toto said or did that would warrant this feeling. It would be great when making such claims to link to something. (Note; I've been trying to follow the news and the race topic, but haven't found what you are referring to).

Anyway, Toto can be hot-headed sometimes. I think it's amazing how calm he remains most of the time, but deep down, you can tell he really wants to win. Having that said, I think in the fact that Kimi hitting Lewis is being used to create some additional pressure outside the race. It's perhaps very unsporting to do so, after all, to suggest Kimi would indeed to something like that on purpose is absolutely ridiculous, but I also get the anger and frustration some have, especially the team and Lewis, over being taken away the chance to legitimately fight for that victory by a driver of the closest competitor. But this is Motorsports and these things happen sometimes.

Also as for last week, I think it was commendable for Vowels to step up and come on team-radio. I also don't believe that message was meant to be scrutinized by the world, but a message to Lewis (who I guess can be a bit emotional at times in the heat of the moment) to calm down and focus. Win as a team, lose as a team.