Would you say the same if Mercedes won races?
Incredible but true. Toto Wolff, head of the Mercedes team, considers that current Formula 1 is boring due to the dominance of the Red Bull and Ferrari teams, who have shared all the victories so far this season. Some surprising words coming from whom they come from… because his team has won the last eight titles at stake!
Specifically, Mercedes has won all the Constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021, a total of eight; and two of its drivers in this time, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, claimed seven championships until Max Verstappen snapped the star’s brand streak last year.
If there has been a boring time in Formula 1 for fans in recent years, it has been the one dominated by Mercedes, but of course, for Wolff those times were of joy and celebration. Now the German team suffers after taking risks with its aerodynamic concept, which makes them have to deal more than expected with ‘porpoising’.
But, although they are not ready to fight for victory (yet) with Red Bull and Ferrari, Mercedes has achieved seven podium finishes so far this season. Wolff, head of the team, expected things to be different this year after the important change in technical regulations that has taken place.
The Austrian has focused his criticism of F1 on the sprint races, which he considers do not provide the excitement that was expected, as seen in Austria, where the second of the year was held after Imola at the beginning of the season. “I think there are less entertaining sprint races going on because there is so much difference in pace between the teams,” Wolff told The Independent.
“If Verstappen escapes, the two Ferraris are the only entertainment during the race. After that, we are in the middle of nowhere, and the rest come from behind forming trains with the DRS. This way, we will never have good sprint races.” , said.
Wolff also sends a message to Stefano Domenicali, the top manager of Formula 1 and one of the main promoters of F1 sprint racing, encouraging him to choose other circuits to maximize the excitement on the track. “You have to trust him. He is the right person to pick the sprint races. He will have seen what happened in Austria and will reflect on it.”
Would the complaints be the same if Mercedes had won at least a couple of races and was in contention for the F1 World Championship? We’re sure not… and it’s not too late to see them on the top of the podium. In fact, at Paul Ricard it is believed that they may have a good opportunity to fight with Red Bull and Ferrari.
