‘the Three Sharks’: Wolff Excited At Possible F1 Return Of Ecclestone, Horner And Briatore

Toto Wolff has said he would invited thing of a Formula One supergroup returning to nan athletics successful nan shape of Christian Horner, Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore perchance uniting to bargain nan Alpine team.

When asked astatine nan Dutch Grand Prix what he thought of nan concept, albeit a somewhat improbable proposition contempt rumours persisting that Horner is willing successful purchasing Alpine if he tin get nan important financial backing required, nan Mercedes main was each successful favour.

“If location was specified an breathtaking project, these 3 guys coming together, each of nan mafia reunited, that would springiness bully content. The shark mafia. Three sharks,” Wolff said.

Horner was precocious sacked by his Red Bull team and Ecclestone, F1’s semipermanent ringmaster and main executive, has not been straight progressive since Liberty media took complete nan athletics successful 2017. Briatore is executive advisor to nan Alpine team and adjacent friends pinch Ecclestone and Horner.

“That would beryllium an breathtaking communicative and would create tons of buzz astir Formula One,” Wolff added. “I deliberation we request that and Formula One has ever been astir nan champion racing pinch breathtaking drivers and awesome personalities. When you look backmost astatine nan expansive era of squad owners and squad principals astir Frank Williams and Ron Dennis, Flavio, Luca di Montezemolo – possibly we request to activity connected that.”

On way successful first believe astatine Zandvoort, McLaren maintained their clasp connected nan beforehand of nan section pinch Lando Norris conscionable having nan separator complete teammate Oscar Piastri by two-tenths of a second, connected a somewhat blustery, chilly time connected nan North Sea coast. Rain many times swept crossed nan circuit, upwind which is expected to stay complete nan play including connected Sunday, and whitethorn yet play its portion successful nan race.

A erstwhile leader of nan Benetton and Renault teams, Flavio Briatore is now executive advisor astatine Alpine. Photograph: Kym Illman/Getty Images

Red Bull’s struggles remained each excessively clear astatine Max Verstappen’s location circuit, wherever he has traditionally been truthful strong, pinch 3 wins from nan past 4 races. The Dutchman could negociate only sixth successful first practice, almost a 2nd disconnected Norris and he besides slid disconnected way arsenic nan convention closed.

In nan day session, pinch moving constricted owed to crashes by Lance Stroll and Alex Albon, Norris was erstwhile much connected top, eight-hundredths successful beforehand of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, pinch Piastri third, Verstappen 5th and Lewis Hamilton successful sixth.