Abu Dhabi: Mercedes bosses Niki Lauda and Tito Wolff walked into the paddock holding hands ahead of qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Saturday following reports the pair had fallen out.
A report by the Daily Telegraph said Lauda was on the verge of quitting the team after a disagreement with Wolff over whether to supply Red Bull with an engine next season.
Lauda, who owns a 10 per cent stake in the team as a non-executive chairman, was apparently for the deal with Red Bull’s owner Dietrich Mateschitz, with the latter believing the two had shaken hands on a deal.
But Wolff, who owns a 30 per cent share as the side’s principal, was said to have scuppered the deal fearing it would benefit a direct rival and in turn jeopardise the dominance of their own outfit.
The article quoted a source who said there was “no love lost” between the pair and that Lauda could quit the outfit as soon as Sunday’s race was over.
But in a light-hearted response to the article, the two Austrians came in through the gates together and put on a united front.
Red Bull chief Christian Horner had somewhat stoked these reports the night before when he replied: “Perhaps Toto can tell you” when asked who would supply the team with an engine next season.
So far, Ferrari, Honda and now Mercedes have rejected a deal to supply the team an engine, prompting Red Bull to go back to their initial suppliers Renault.