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Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff is adamant the championship should not be “designing freak results” and remains against the prospect of “random” reverse-grid races, which could be introduced in 2021.
F1 owner Liberty Media seems set on tabling a proposal for a sprint race at certain grands prix next season in place of a qualifying session.
The grid for the Saturday race would be determined by reverse championship order and the result of this race would set the grid for the grand prix on Sunday.
Proponents of the idea insist it would not create a swathe of unworthy grand prix winners but would create more racing through the field and still result in the best teams succeeding more often.
Mercedes was against the proposal when it was tabled for the current season and successfully blocked the trial, but a change in F1’s governance means its opposition alone will not be enough to derail it if other teams and F1’s rulemakers retain the support they showed last time.
The idea is back in the spotlight after last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix produced an unexpected grand prix winner in AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly as the Mercedes and Red Bull cars were out of position, which F1’s managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn believes supports the concept of a reverse-grid race.
“I think I have a better idea,” Wolff joked. “I would do a reverse grid in alphabetical order of team names. And then we would change our name to AMG.”
Previously, Wolff objected on the grounds that F1 should be a meritocracy, that teams would potentially ‘game’ the system, and that the second- or third-fastest team would gain a lasting advantage.
On Saturday at Mugello, after his team locked out the front row in qualifying for the seventh race in a row, Wolff reiterated his opposition and compared it to NASCAR’s shift from a full championship to a run of play-off races at the end of the season to decide the title.
“I don’t think that we should mess with any of the format,” said Wolff.
“We see racing series that have tried to change format that has historically been understood by the fans. NASCAR and the Chase comes to my mind.
“I don’t think we should be messing around and this is not because I have a Mercedes bias. On the contrary, I like the variability and unpredictability.
“We will have races that will be very different, such as the Monza. But nobody wants a winner that has started from a reverse grid.
“I don’t think we should be designing freak results where it is almost impossible to overtake just because we believe that the pecking order should be a different one.
“This is a meritocracy, this is a sport where best man and best machine wins.”
Wolff said that F1 should only move towards this format if it wants to willingly trade authenticity of competition for a bigger spectacle.
He said it would become like wrestling on the grounds the outcome is not a true reflection of performance, although his exact characterisation was incorrect as wrestling is choreographed and pre-determined rather than “completely random”, as Wolff put it.
“If you want to do random, let’s make it a show, but I think the core DNA of the sport is being a sport, and then an entertainment platform,” said Wolff.
“But it’s not a show. It’s not a reality show, it’s not Big Brother, and I don’t think we should be going there.”
