Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has warned Formula 1 against making a “knee-jerk reaction” in response to the current lack of entertainment in the sport, due to the domination being enjoyed by Red Bull.
After having been deemed as a success last season, the new aerodynamic regulations have been heavily criticised this year, with the drivers once again being unable to overtake.
One of the reasons for introducing the new regulations in the first place was to increase the number of overtakes seen per race, whilst also allowing the drivers to follow much easier.
Both occurred last season, whilst neither have been seen in 2023.
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None of the races so far this season have been thrillers, with the Australian Grand Prix having been the most eventful by far but as a result of the decisions made by the race director, rather than the racing itself.
A general complaint shared amongst the grid is that they can’t follow each other again, with the cars once again producing more downforce as a result of the teams having introduced developments for optimum performance.
The only team who have been capable of overtaking with ease are Red Bull, who have been significantly faster in a straight-line when DRS is active.
The Austrians boast a 122-point lead in the Constructors’ Champion already and have also won all five races this season, with four of their five wins coming in the form of a 1-2.
Some of the leading drivers have admitted that unless their own team can bridge the gap then the only way to reduce Red Bull’s advantage is by making changes to the regulations; however, Wolff has warned the sport against making any rash decisions to improve the sport’s entertainment.
“In this sport, we tend to be manic depressive, from exuberance to depression,” Wolff told media, including RacingNews365.com.
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“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.”