Toto Wolff admits ‘I mustn’t say that’ after making Jeffrey Epstein comment in F1 press conference
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stunned reporters at yesterday’s press conference in Bahrain with a deeply inappropriate reference to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Austrian’s outburst occurred as he angrily rejected allegations from rival Formula 1 teams questioning whether his squad’s power units comply with regulations.
Wolff branded the claims “utter bull****” while defending the legality of the new Mercedes engines ahead of the 2026 campaign.
He said: “Another nonsense. This is a complicated topic and the process, and all of this, but there’s just not… I can’t even comment.
Wolff added: “This is another of these stories. We were told compression ratio is something where we were illegal, which is total bull****. Utter bull****, and now the next story comes up that our fuel is illegal?
“I don’t know where that comes from and it starts spinning again. Maybe tomorrow we’re inventing something else?
“I don’t know, I’ve been on the Epstein files, God knows what.”
After a reaction from reporters, Wolff added: “You’re not happy with me saying that, no? Yeah, I mustn’t say that.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stunned reporters at yesterday’s press conference in Bahrain
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Pre-season testing wraps up today at the Bahrain circuit, where tensions between manufacturers have escalated over the controversial power unit developments.
Engine manufacturers are set to cast their votes in the coming days on whether the Silver Arrows can continue running their innovative power units past August 1 this year.
Mercedes engineers discovered a method to boost the compression ratio limit as the engines heat up during operation.
Further complications have emerged, with reports suggesting the fuel developed by title sponsor Petronas has not yet received FIA approval.
The Austrian’s outburst occurred as he angrily rejected allegations from rival Formula 1 teams
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The power unit controversy extends beyond Mercedes’ own cars, as the engines will also supply McLaren, Williams and Alpine throughout the season.
Despite the looming vote, Wolff appeared unconcerned about potentially losing the ballot.
He said: “For me, either way, it works.
“Either we stay with the regulations like we are or the vote goes ahead on Friday with the proposal that came from FIA. Both okay for us.”
Pre-season testing wraps up today at the Bahrain circuit
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Wolff added: “We said it all along that this looks like a storm in a teacup, the whole thing.
“Numbers were coming up and if these numbers would have been through [the roof], I absolutely understand why somebody would fight it, but eventually it’s not worth the fight.
“It doesn’t change anything for us, whether we stay like this or whether we change to the new regulations and that’s been a process.”
In the same press conference, McLaren chief executive Zak Brown appeared unconcerned.
