Wolff is not a fan of reversed grids: "F1 is not a reality show!
- GPblog.com
Plans to introduce reversed grids in 2020 have been shot down by Mercedes, but the discussion about the plan has flared up again after the Italian Grand Prix. However, Toto Wolff has not changed his mind.
Through a combination of a chaotic Safety Car, pit stops, a red flag and a time penalty for Lewis Hamilton, the field was shuffled halfway through the Italian Grand Prix. It created a spectacle that no one had seen coming before the race, reigniting the discussion about reversed grids.
The idea was shot down earlier this year by Mercedes. Toto Wolff has no intention of giving the green light now. "I don't think we should mess with the format. We've seen race series before that have done that and I think we need to stay far away from that. That's not because I'm with Mercedes. On the contrary, I enjoy the unpredictability and variety that races like Monza offer," the team boss explains to Autosport.com.
Not WWE or Big Brother
"But no one wants to see a winner who got on the podium through a reversed grid. I don't think we should design freak results where it's almost impossible to overtake, just because the pecking order has to be different," the Austrian continues.
"Formula 1 is a meritocracy, a sport where the best man and machine wins. This is not WWE, where the results are completely random. If you really want it to be random, make it a show. But I think the core DNA of the sport is being a sport and only then an entertainment platform. F1 is not a show. It's not a reality show and it's not Big Brother and I don't think we want to go there either," concludes a passionate Wolff.