‘Harmony’ between Toto Wolff and Christian Horner at F1 meeting, says FIA chief

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has claimed Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and his Red Bull rival Christian Horner were in “harmony” at Formula One’s crunch London summit.

Wolff and Horner arrived at F1’s headquarters at St James’s Market on Monday awaiting the outcome of the FIA’s inquiry into last year’s controversial finale, which saw Max Verstappen take the world championship.

But two months and three days after the contentious Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – a race Lewis Hamilton said was “manipulated” following Michael Masi’s handling of a late safety car period – the Australian’s fate is seemingly to be determined, while the FIA’s investigation is still ongoing.

"It was a very good meeting - we went through a lot of important things for the season" FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem says the analysis is still ongoing following the F1 Commission Meeting, but that discussions were 'good'.pic.twitter.com/LToP0pusSB

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 15, 2022

Hamilton’s title battle with Verstappen spilled over into the paddock last season, creating an ugly atmosphere between Mercedes and Red Bull.

But Ben Sulayem, elected to his post in the days after the Abu Dhabi showdown, told Sky Sports: “They were in line. They were close to each other and they were in a good mood.

“I expected more entertainment but it was good to see the harmony between them.”

Ben Sulayem chaired the four-hour meeting and is expected to address the continued fallout from Abu Dhabi later this week, with a restructure of race control expected.

One school of thought is that Masi, a surprise attendee at Monday’s meeting, could be forced to take up a lesser role, with Portuguese Eduardo Freitas moving across from the World Endurance Championship to replace