Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff cautions against hasty reactions due to the perceived lack of excitement in Formula 1 races.
Criticism has been directed at the sport for a decrease in overtaking opportunities throughout this season, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Sprint weekend drawing particular concern as there was minimal on-track action.
Moreover, in the ongoing campaign, Red Bull has asserted its dominance by clinching victories in all five races thus far, leaving their close competitors Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Ferrari scrambling to narrow the gap.
In an effort to enhance the spectacle, the technical regulations governing F1 cars were extensively modified last season. These alterations involved removing aerodynamic surfaces from the upper part of the vehicles, enabling better car-to-car proximity during cornering.
Although the initial year of the revised regulations garnered positive feedback overall, subsequent modifications and the progress made by teams have hindered F1’s objective of delivering thrilling races consistently at each event.
The 51-year-old speaking to the media said: “In this sport, we tend to be manic depressive, from exuberance to depression. When things are going well, then it’s great, then we have a race that’s not so great and obviously then we talk about it.
“Many things have been taken out of context though, to create headlines. And I think we just need to see whether we have a pattern that continues: whether overtaking is more difficult or not? Are the 20 cars in a second? Is that the right thing to do to have or not? And are we creating too much downforce through the floor?
“All that for me hasn’t got the right answer, so we need to find a baseline over the next few races, see whether there’s something which we can improve.”
Ahead of the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix, multiple teams are gearing up to introduce new upgrades. This comes in the wake of the cancellation of the Imola Grand Prix due to unfavorable weather conditions in the region.
The big question looming is whether these upgrades have the potential to inject excitement into the current Formula 1 season, which has been criticized for its growing predictability.
