Toto Wolff vents 'unacceptable' Max Verstappen fury with bizarre taxi jibe

Max Verstappen and Toto Wolff in Taxi — Photo: © IMAGO

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Wolff vents 'unacceptable' Verstappen fury with bizarre taxi jibe

Toto Wolff has hit out at Max Verstappen

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 4 June 2025 08:58 Updated: 11:17

Toto Wolff has unleashed his fury at Max Verstappen after his incident with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, even going as far as to compare the champion to a ‘taxi-driver’.

The Mercedes team principal is used to having to defend his drivers after an on track collision with Verstappen, navigating most of the 2021 title battle in a press conference war-of-words with Christian Horner.

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However, after Verstappen appeared to intentionally slam into the side of Russell at the Spanish GP, Wolff was forced to once again fight his driver's corner where he called out the Dutchman’s antics.

"He behaved like some taxi drivers in Rome or Naples, without rules,” Wolff said to Sky Sports after the race.

“I don't understand what he wanted to do, but I have to understand because if he did it out of anger it's unacceptable.

"He came out of Turn 4 without accelerating, I thought he had a problem with the car. George passed him, but then Max closed the door on him again."

Wolff calls out Verstappen’s Spanish GP antics

The Spanish GP is not the first time Verstappen has collided with Russell, with the pair coming to blows at the 2024 Qatar GP.

Verstappen was stripped of pole position after he impeded Russell in qualifying, with the pair trading insults in the media where the Red Bull driver called the Brit ‘two-faced’.

Russell has once again publicly condemned Verstappen’s actions on track, where he described them as ‘bizarre’ and ‘deliberate’ and added that his move during the race was totally ‘unnecessary’.

In a typically Verstappen-esq bullish response, the Dutchman mocked Russell’s comments and said: “Well, I’ll bring some tissues next time.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes George Russell Toto Wolff Spanish Grand Prix