Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has praised the new-look Formula 1 and believes it’s witnessing some of the greatest racing in recent memory.
The Austrian highlighted several races as evidence that the sport is producing a spectacle, but he warned that more needs to be done in future.
“I watched the final race of the 1984 championship in Portugal recently, and I came into it one third of the way through,” he explained to the official F1 website. “These races were much more boring: you couldn’t hear the engines on TV because they were also turbos, and the only overtaking was lapping.
“I think we have a great product [now], some great races. Will we always have great races? No. But is every football match great? No. You had Bahrain, Montreal, Austria… I think we have a good product.”
On the whole Wolff is happy, but he says some recent changes might be a step too far, particularly the unpopular double points rule.
“In trying to make it more exciting, have we gone into territory we shouldn’t have? Maybe – maybe double points are not right. But let us do double points and then judge at the end whether we have done something wrong or not. Is it pure and simple, as F1 should be? No it is not, and I am against it. But maybe once we have gone through it we will like it,” he added.
“There are a couple of people who always say how good it was in the old times and how we need to go back in the regulations. But you cannot be blind to what is happening in the world. I think F1 is the pinnacle of motor racing; it is the best drivers and the best cars.”
He’s hopeful that a positive reaction will attract new manufacturers.
“For us at Mercedes the reason we are here is that there is a clear link and exchange between F1 and the road cars, in both directions. That is not a marketing gag but reality, it happens. Honda has proved the concept is interesting and who knows what discussions are ongoing at the various companies about joining. Looking at what Mercedes have done, maybe we could be seeing some of the others joining.”
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