Toto Wolff fails to realize he's helping destroy F1

Toto Wolff fails to realize that his engine technology is destroying F1 as a sport

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff doesn't believe the current formula of F1 racing has 'failed' despite the prospect of earlier-than-planned tweaks being introduced to improve the show.

The current generation of V6 hybrid power units have been praised for their technological advancements and relevance to road car gains, but have been criticized for the expense of development – which has in turn filtered down to smaller, customer teams – and for detracting from 'the show'.

Indeed, F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has expressed his particular dissatisfaction with the current format and has pushed for a return to V8 engines generating a more 'marketable' – and noisier – 1000bhp.

Though Ecclestone is expected to compromise in allowing the current V6 units to stay, albeit revised to allow four figures of bhp, the moves to hark back to former regulations has raised questions over whether the 'new era' of F1 has subsequently been a success.

However, this is an assertion that Wolff – who has overseen Mercedes' dominance of this era since 2014 – rejects, even if he admits the vested interests of his team and the F1 promoters are always likely to create differing views.

"I don't think it's a failure," he said. "We have clearly like any other sport our challenges and you need to be able to reinvent yourself if you think that the formula or format is not good enough. I think that with Ferrari resurging there is a pretty tough fight out there for the championship, we have seen indications in the last races that viewing figures have been up.

"Clearly you see differences between promoters and the show they are being able to put up, but again in my role it's not so much up to me to judge whether the show is good enough or not because I'm not selling any tickets and I'm not trying to sign promoters or TV stations. So we need to follow Bernie's guidance on that, this is his job, what we can do is be part of these discussions and come up with our standpoint with some sensible guidance that we think is wrong and right.

"From my perspective it's what is important for Mercedes from the technology point of view, from the communications point of view, from how we see ourselves in that sport and how we see that sport itself and we try to bring that opinion on the table and then there is a governance in place and a decision is going to happen."