Wolff on Vettel penalty: I'm up for changing F1 regulations

Canadian GP

Wolff on Vettel penalty: I'm up for changing F1 regulations

The incident has caused serious debate.

Martin Macdonald

Sunday 9 June 2019 23:17

Toto Wolff has admitted that he would be in favour of changing Formula 1 regulations to make the sport a bit more “dangerous and exciting” following the Canadian Grand Prix which saw Lewis Hamilton take the flag only thanks to P1 finisher Sebastian Vettel being given a five-second penalty.

At Turn 4, Vettel strayed off the track and hastily tried to get back on, which put him right into the path of Hamilton, who was attempting to overtake.

The German was subsequently given the penalty which would affect his time after the race, meaning he crossed the finish line first, only to be second on the podium.

Article continues under video

The decision by the stewards has catalysed huge discussions about the severity of current punishments, and Wolff says he would support any suggestion that regulations should be altered.

“I think we all like hard racing, and if you touch sometimes, that is the consequence, but we need to rely on regulations. This is how we go racing,” he said after the GP.

“If we want to change the regulations, I'm the first one up for it. It becomes a little bit more dangerous. A little bit more exciting.

“It is never black and white. I think wherever you stand, it is a 60/40 decision.”

Wolff admits that he would have been angry if he was on the receiving end of the same decision, but conceded that it was within the outlined ruled.

“If that had happened to me I would have kicked the damn board and threw it against the car,” he said of Vettel incredibly swapping the ‘1’ and ‘2’ position boards around so that his car was behind the winner’s sign.

Displaying the real winner of the Canadian GP.#CanadianGP 🇨🇦 #Vettel #Seb5 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Pt7qJfxbeI
— Sebastian Vettel #5 (@sebvettelnews) June 9, 2019

“So, emotions are, login, and good for the sport. And I think it is one of the typical decision which is a controversial one.

“I am, of course, biased for Mercedes, but there is a rule that says you need to leave a car length when you go off the track, and his [Vettel's] instinct was "I need to protect that position".

“If you are a Ferrari fan or someone who is keen on seeing hard racing, I think you'd like to see a little bit more of a bumper car mentality.

“I think the race stewards are people that need to be supported. I think they've looked at the incident, and that needs to be respected.”

The win by Hamilton extended Mercedes’ run of winning every single race so far this season.