Did Spygate Controversy Affect the Mclaren-Mercedes Deal? Toto Wolff Answers

In late September, there was a surprise announcement that McLaren inked a deal with Mercedes. So, from the 2021 season, they will no longer field Renault power, but instead switch back to Mercedes for the first time since 2014.

McLaren’s previous partnership with the German manufacturer was back in 1995 and lasted until 2014. During that time they bagged three driver’s championships, with Mika Hakkinen’s double and Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title. Unfortunately that relationship was strained in 2007, courtesy the infamous ‘spygate‘ scandal.

The controversy finally culminated in Ferrari sacking the offending crew member. However, McLaren came away much worse, the team was stripped of its championship points for the season and slapped with a $100 million fine.

At the time, McLaren was effectively Mercedes’ works outfit until the latter returned to Formula 1 in 2010 as a works team. At the end of the 2014 season McLaren terminated their partnership with the German outfit.

What followed next was a disastrous three-year reunion with Japanese manufacturer Honda. Finally, McLaren partnered with Renault ahead of the 2018 season and will continue the marriage until the culmination of the 2020 season.

Speaking about the McLaren-Mercedes reunion, executive director and Merc team boss Toto Wolff said, “I think that it was a dark time for McLaren and Mercedes back in the day,” Wolff said at the weekend. “It cost us both quite some money to remedy the actions of individuals.

“[But] we have moved on,” he insisted. “It’s 12 years later, and it hasn’t played any role in the decision. In this respect there are no feelings at all”

It was worth noting that the union kicked off numerous conspiracy theories. One such rumour was that Mercedes is setting up McLaren to take over as the ‘works’ operation once again.

In the meantime, they will eventually depart F1 and focus their efforts on the all-electric Formula E championship. However, Toto Wolff has since debunked that suggestion and reaffirmed their commitment to Formula One.