Kaltenborn Responds to Lauda's Criticism over F1 Governance Row
Sauber's Monisha Kaltenborn has publicly rebuked Niki Lauda after the Mercedes chairman criticised her handling of the team's legal disputes and involvement in the European Commission complaint.
Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn has delivered a pointed response to Niki Lauda, following the Mercedes chairman’s public attack over Sauber’s role in the ongoing Formula One governance dispute and the team’s legal troubles earlier in the season.
Lauda had recently accused Sauber of focusing on external complaints rather than addressing what he described as the team’s “own inabilities”. He singled out Kaltenborn’s management during the Giedo van der Garde contract dispute, labelling her behaviour “stupid” in comments to Swiss publication Handelszeitung.
Kaltenborn, speaking in Austin ahead of the United States Grand Prix, questioned why Daimler would allow such remarks from a senior figure. She suggested Lauda either “doesn’t care” or “doesn’t understand” the nature of Sauber’s joint complaint with Force India to the European Commission, which targets Formula One’s governance structure and distribution of commercial revenues.
F1 governance and team tensions
The row comes as Sauber and Force India have lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission, arguing that Formula One’s decision-making process and financial arrangements unfairly favour a handful of teams. Mercedes, represented by Lauda, is among those with a privileged position under the current Concorde Agreement.
- Sauber and Force India allege unfair competition in F1’s structure.
- Mercedes is a beneficiary of the current revenue distribution.
Lauda’s own experience running airlines was referenced by Kaltenborn, who remarked that he should understand the regulatory issues involved. She also noted that age does not necessarily bring wisdom, in a clear rebuke to Lauda’s authority on the subject.
This exchange highlights the deepening divisions between F1’s leading teams and smaller outfits over how the sport is governed and financed. With the European Commission complaint now public, the dispute has moved beyond the paddock and into the regulatory arena.
