Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has launched a passionate tirade against Formula 1 considering reverse grid races from 2021.
The topic is back on the agenda once again after the drama seen last weekend at Monza where problems for the usual frontrunners saw three midfield teams on the podium and a first F1 win for Pierre Gasly.
For some, the race, which saw Lewis Hamilton climb from 16th to P7, was a taster of how a qualifying reverse grid race could look, but Wolff, who single-handedly blocked an attempt to introduce them for this revised season, insists they’re a bad idea.
“I don’t think that we should mess with any of the format,” he said on Saturday.
“We see racing series that have tried to change formats that have historically been understood by the fans, NASCAR and the Chase comes to my mind, but I don’t think we should be messing around.”
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The initial idea put forward was for a 30-minute sprint race where the grid was decided by reverse championship order, but Toto maintains his opposition is not based on the impact it would have on his team.
“This is not because I have a Mercedes bias. On the contrary, I like the variability and the unpredictability, and we will have races that will be very different such as the Monza race, but nobody wants a winner that has started from a reverse grid,” the Austrian continued.
“I don’t think we should be designing freak results where it is almost impossible to overtake, just because we believe that the pecking order should be a different one.
“This is a meritocracy, this is a sport where the best man and best machine wins, this is not WWE, where the outcome is completely random.
“If you want to do random, let’s make it a show, but I think the core DNA of the sport is being a sport, and then an entertainment platform.
“It’s not a show. It’s not a reality show, and it’s not Big Brother, and I don’t think we should be going there.”
Mercedes’ drivers will start one-two for the seventh straight race at Mugello on Sunday.