Not everyone is yet convinced about the presence of short races in Formula 1. Friday is perhaps more interesting, as there is only one free practice session and an actual qualifying session, but the short races themselves are still not as spectacular as one might expect. Toto Wolff knows this too.
Not everyone is yet convinced about the presence of short races in Formula 1. Friday is perhaps more interesting, as there is only one free practice session and an actual qualifying session, but the short races themselves are still not as spectacular as one might expect. Toto Wolff knows this too.
Wolff feels that the lack of enthusiasm for the short races at Imola and Red Bull Ring is not so much due to the overall format. He believes that a shorter 100-kilometer race on Saturday could certainly add value to the premier class of motorsport, but he feels that they are not entertaining enough right now because of the large performance differences between the teams.
The Mercedes team boss told Motorsport-Total.com, "Verstappen has disappeared at the front, the two Ferraris have provided the only entertainment during the race and we are in no-man's-land. The others are even further back and are on a DRS train. So there could never be a good short race," he told the German website.
There have been talks in recent months by the teams and other Formula One stakeholders about increasing the number of short races from three to six. This plan was already on the table for 2022, but was not approved.
For 2023, Liberty Media and the teams would have agreed to double the number of short race weekends, but the FIA is still opposed. The governing body would like to see financial compensation.