Toto Wolff believes that rules to balance the performance would “ruin the sport”
After a dominant start to the season by Red Bull, tension is rising among some team directors. Some believe that rules should be implemented to narrow the gap between the cars and thus provide more excitement. However, Toto Wolff does not share this opinion.
At the start of this season, Red Bull seems to be in a league of their own. Max Verstappen has a 39-point lead over his teammate Sergio Perez, who himself is twelve points ahead of Fernando Alonso, currently third in the championship. The Austrian team has won all the races so far without being challenged. Some sporting directors are starting to criticize this domination and are even calling on the FIA to take action to narrow the gap.
Formula 1, a meritocracy
For others, like Toto Wolff, implementing rules to balance the performance of cars would amount to killing the sport. Formula 1 is a meritocracy, he stated. We need to congratulate them. We just need to work better. We need to catch up to them, find intelligent solutions. We must hope that our progress is better than theirs. And eventually, we can get back into the battle, continued the team principal of Mercedes.
The Silver Arrows have also experienced several seasons of total domination. The Brackley team is looking to return to the forefront and fight for the championship once again. So it’s normal to see Mercedes not wanting rules that aim to close the gap between teams. Additionally, Toto Wolff believes that the car is not solely responsible for this domination.
The car is fast in all conditions. The driver is at the top of his game. Even during the race, pushing to the limits, and sometimes going off track, without giving up, it’s a talent to have. We can see that Red Bull drivers push their cars to the limits, defended Toto Wolff.
The side show
Even if the team principal of Mercedes believes that a battle between multiple drivers would be better for the show, the sport must take priority. The strongest naturally wins thanks to the work they have put in. « Of course, I would prefer a battle between ten drivers, or at least two. It would be better for all of us. But that’s not happening. And that’s why you have to accept the situation and get back to work, to catch up to the leaders. », asserts Toto Wolff. « It’s a sport, whether it’s good or bad for the spectacle. »
It is for these reasons that Toto Wolff refuses to introduce rules penalizing certain teams in order to close the gap between teams. If we start implementing performance balancing, we will ruin the sport, Toto Wolff stated. The team principal of Mercedes believes that restrictions should only exist if the rules are not respected.
“The best driver, in the best car, spending the same amount as the other teams, wins the championship. If you break a rule, then you must be penalized, heavily. But only for that, not for doing a good job,” said Toto Wolff.
