Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has urged Formula 1 officials to step in to make the sport more entertaining for the fans after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix proved to be a boring affair with little drama despite a shake-up of the sport’s format.
As Mercedes once dominated the sport, barely threatened by its competitors, Red Bull is now in control, having won every race of the season so far, putting them firmly on course for the 2023 Constructors’ title.
Heading to Miami next week, Red Bull leads the Constructors’ race by nearly 100 points to its nearest rival, making it incredibly challenging for anyone to unseat the dominant title-leaders.
With four rounds complete, Sergio Perez has two wins to his name, having taken P1 in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, while Max Verstappen won in Bahrain and Australia.
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Three of those races delivered 1-2 finishes for Red Bull, with Azerbaijan marking the 25th time the team has dominated in such a manner.
“It was not a thriller,” Wolff said after the race.
“No overtaking, even with a big pace difference, made it not great entertainment.
“Even if you are within 0.2secs, it is nearly impossible to overtake unless the other driver makes a mistake.”
The remarks came after Formula 1 officials limited overtaking opportunities in Baku by reducing the distance of the second DRS zone by 100 metres.
“After a race weekend like this, we mustn’t talk [regulations] down overall and say it is the wrong direction and we need to change completely,” Wolff said.
“It is more about asking why wasn’t it entertaining, and revisit it. We need to look at how we can avoid a boring race.”
Wolff’s concerns come with the realisation that the 2023 season is a battle led by Red Bull, followed distantly by six cars in a tight fight and then a third division that is far behind.
“We see a pattern. There are two Red Bulls, and then there are six cars, and a long way off is the third division.
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“That has been the pattern the first four races and we have to shake that up somehow.
“They were 20 seconds ahead of [Ferrari racer Charles] Leclerc after 40 racing laps, so it is half a second a lap.
“At least we have seen they were pushing so that is the real pace. Half a second is quite a long way to go.”