Mercedes believes that Ferrari and Red Bull’s domination makes Formula 1 less interesting
Toto Wolff thinks that the performance gap between the top two teams and the rest of the grid makes Formula 1 less interesting.
During the first 11 races of this 2022 season, only Red Bull and Ferrari have had the chance to win at least one race. Mercedes is slightly behind, but still has four podium finishes. However, the dominance of the top two teams is making Toto Wolff think that Formula 1 is becoming too predictable.
During the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen emerged as the clear winner, leaving Leclerc far behind in the sprint race. The race on Sunday saw the two Ferraris dominate Verstappen’s Red Bull. At no other moment in the Grand Prix did any other team have a glimmer of hope for a victory. After this Grand Prix, Toto Wolff spoke about the performance gap between the teams. « I believe the reason why the races have become less interesting is because there is a too significant performance gap between the leading teams and the rest. »
If, in the race, Verstappen disappears into the distance, only the two Ferraris will be interesting to follow. We are behind in a No Man’s Land, then a few isolated cars further back, and finally a DRS train at the rear. At no point is this entertaining.
Mercedes won the constructor’s championship in the last 8 seasons. Often at the expense of the show, as only Ferrari and Red Bull could occasionally compete with the Austrian team. In 2020, the duo Hamilton-Bottas only allowed four victories for their competitors (Red Bull and Pierre Gasly).
Currently, in 3rd place in the championship, the German team still lags behind the front-runners. However, the recent races at Silverstone or Spielberg show signs of progress from Mercedes.
