04/06/2025 19:00
Taxi drivers from Rome have sharply criticised Mercedes boss Toto
Wolff for a "road rage" comment he made in the aftermath of the
Spanish Grand Prix. Speaking to Sky Italia in the aftermath of Max
Verstappen ramming into George Russell at Turn 5 in the closing
stages of the Barcelona race, Wolff claimed that: "this is road
rage, like the taxi drivers in Rome or Naples, there is a lot of
aggression in the centre of Rome and Naples, without rules." He
later expanded on his comments to media, including RacingNews365,
calling the move for which Verstappen earned a 10-second time
penalty and three penalty points as "incomprehensible." Whilst
Naples appeared to brush off Wolff's comment, the same could not be
said for their colleagues from the Eternal City. "Maybe it would
be better if Wolff focused on [the performance] of his own team,"
the president of Rome's largest taxi association, Loreno Bittarelli
told Corriere della Sera. Another boss, Nicola Di Giacobbe from
Filt-Cgil claimed that: "we drive like a Mercedes since it only
goes 30 miles an hour, just like us," although he did concede Rome
had a problem with traffic. A driver, Alessandro compared Rome to a
"jungle" as drivers navigate their way around the sights of a
modern capital city. "We are the ones who are first in not having
accidents, otherwise we would lose our working day," he explained.
"I would like to see Formula 1 drivers manoeuvring around
construction sites, scooters and golf carts the way we do. Rome is
now a jungle, not a Formula 1 track."
