Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team principal, sparked controversy by referencing Jeffrey Epstein during a press conference, defending his team’s power unit against allegations of cheating. Wolff compared the speculation surrounding the legality of Mercedes’ engine to the baseless rumors circulating online, joking that it was on the same level as him being in the Epstein files. “I don’t know where that comes from and it starts spinning again. Maybe tomorrow we’ll invent something else… I don’t know, that I’ve been on the Epstein files. God knows what,” Wolff said, visibly aware of the sensitivity of the comment.
The controversy surrounds the compression ratio used in Mercedes’ power unit, with rival teams alleging that the team has found a loophole to exceed the 16:1 limit while running in higher temperatures. Wolff maintained that Mercedes has followed the rules and had assurances from the FIA. The FIA has confirmed it is evaluating teams’ energy management and deployment systems, and further reviews will be carried out before any decision on regulatory changes.
