General
Mercedes team boss: 'Too much responsibility to just freestyle'
- GPblog.com
Toto Wolff is not a fan of the current sprint race format. The Mercedes team boss has said on a number of occasions that he feels the second free practice session in its current format is rather pointless, given that the cars are already in parc fermé after Friday afternoon's qualifying session. According to the Austrian top man, there needs to be a lot of thought given to how to proceed.
Keep experimenting is not an option
Wolff is not in favour of continuing to experiment with new ideas. "So, whatever conclusion we take, altogether, the teams, the FIA, FOM and the F1 Commission, whether we discontinue or continue, we need to do it with a fine-tooth comb. I don't think it is the regulations we should try [to hit] with a baseball bat. We have too much responsibility for our sport to just freestyle with the regulatory changes."
Several options have been floated over the past week to make an F1 weekend even more attractive. Some changes to the sprint race format have already been suggested, while Ferrari came up with the idea of a reversed grid. "“But some of the suggestions that have come up are just confused," Wolff is clear in conversation with Motorsport.com.
What should Formula 1 do if, after Brazil, it turns out there is too little enthusiasm for sprint racing in its current form in 2022? "“Start Friday afternoon with FP1, do a Saturday morning FP2, do a conventional qualifying like we do, and a fantastic grand prix on Sunday. Maybe you want to do some warm-up Sunday morning, to add a little bit more spectacle for the people. In any case, I would just shorten the free practice sessions so there's more variability in the results, but keep the rest like it is," Wolff ends.