McLaren join forces with Mercedes to oppose F1's latest reverse-grid proposal

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McLaren join forces with Mercedes to oppose F1's latest reverse-grid proposal

Super majority vote comes into play for 2021

Ian Parkes

Saturday 3 October 2020 11:14

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Andreas Seidl has confirmed McLaren will join Mercedes in opposition should Formula 1 push to introduce a form of reverse-grid racing in 2021.

F1's managing director motorsports Ross Brawn has long championed the idea of a reverse-grid race, with the apparent plan for next season for it to replace the current qualifying format at four grands prix next season.

The plan would be for a 30-minute sprint event, with the grid decided by championship order, and with its result forming the grid for the main event on Sunday.

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Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff's dissenting voice was all that was required for the idea to be shelved before this season started, but for next year there need to be three teams in opposition for Brawn to again be defeated.

The super-majority rule comes into play, with 28 votes required for a new proposal to be passed. The FIA and F1 hold 10 votes apiece, with each of the 10 teams a single vote, so even if two teams reject an idea, it would still come to fruition.

Joining forces with Mercedes on this occasion, Seidl said: "For us, Formula 1 is a championship, and always has been, where everyone is working within the same regulations.

"The best team, with the best car, with the best driver, is at the front in qualifying, and if everything also goes well on Sunday, is also at the front and wins the race. This is why we are absolutely not supportive of the idea of introducing a reverse grid."

Seidl believes an artificial form of racing should not be introduced to try and stop Mercedes.

"We simply have to accept, and respect, what Mercedes has done over the last few years to build up this dominance," added Seidl.

"In the end, they deserve to be there because they do the best job by far compared to everyone else, and it's simply down to everyone else to try to catch up.

"Next year I'm aware that it is kind of an interim year with probably not a big change, at least at the front of the grid and in terms of the pecking order.

"But with everything that comes into the game from '22 onwards, with the budget cap and the new sporting and technical regulations, that will help to close the grid again and to have more competition.

"I think that's positive, and why it would be wrong to introduce any other randomness now."

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