Wolff blames F1 regulations for 'RUBBISH' cars
Wolff blames F1 regulations for 'RUBBISH' cars
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has launched a scathing criticism of modern F1 cars, describing the ground effect setup as 'rubbish'.
Wolff has been very vocal since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, saying the race was 'boring' following Sergio Perez's victory.
New regulations were introduced at the beginning of 2022 in order to provide a more exciting spectacle for fans.
However, the opposite has happened with Red Bull dominating 2022 and this year so far. Defending champion Max Verstappen and Perez have shared four wins between them in 2023.
The Austrian did not mince his words when speaking about the new type of F1 car, saying: "Generally ground-effect cars are rubbish cars, it is just who has the least rubbish is ahead."
Wolff stops short of demanding new regulations
As part of the sport's drive to create more on-track drama, the technical regulations were altered ahead of the 2022 season, giving teams a whole new challenge to look forward to.
One key change was to make cars flatter and wider with ground effect becoming a key phenomenon in the sport. Essentially, cars use underbody tunnels to create extra downforce so that they can follow cars in front more closely.
Those changes led to big problems with 'porpoising' where the car bounced as it was driving at high speeds - something that particularly affected Mercedes.
Red Bull seemed to be the only team who properly cracked the new regulations last year and Max Verstappen won the title in record-breaking fashion, amassing 15 race wins en route to a dominant title win.
Wolff is no fan of the technical specifications but insists he wants to try and beat Red Bull with the current rules in place rather than have more sweeping changes imposed.
"You can see their car is barely moving, be it on straights or over bumps," Wolff said of the Red Bull. "Corner-through balance looks easy.
"We either have to do a better job all of us together to catch them or change the regulations, and I don't think we should be doing the second one. We just need to win on merit and that means being more clever than Red Bull."
READ MORE: F1 Team Principals: Who are the men in charge in 2023?
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Marko defends Ricciardo in 'unbelievable' idiot claim
- 31 minutes ago
Hamilton hints at sensational Newey arrival at Ferrari
- 1 hour ago
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- 2 hours ago
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- 3 hours ago
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- Today 17:58
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- Today 17:00
Related news
Wolff left FUMING with Mercedes despite amazing Hamilton lap
Hamilton to open Wolff talks at Mercedes amid Ferrari F1 move uncertainty
Brundle hits back at Wolff comments over 2024 title
Red Bull boss Horner SHUTS DOWN F1 rival Wolff's title talk
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860