Amid Mercedes’ Bad Downfall, Toto Wolff Takes a Jab at Max Verstappen’s Negativity After a Sedate & Dominant Baku GP

The history of the Baku track is incredible and has always given fans adrenaline. And this time, the circus reached the track after a four-week break. Fans were overly enthusiastic about the race at the Baku street circuit, especially after experiencing the pandemonium at the Australian GP. Despite Charles Leclerc‘s best efforts to spice up the race, the weekend as a whole remained “boring” due to the dominance of two RB19.

Even though race week is over, there are still plenty of stories coming out of the F1 world. Two camps, Red Bull and Mercedes, always add flavor to the storyline with their pronouncements. This time, Mercedes F1 supremo Toto Wolff was caught mocking Max Verstappen‘s disapproval of F1’s most recent endeavor.

Toto Wolff mocked Verstappen’s negativity

World Motor Sports Council approved the FIA and F1’s proposal to alter the Sprint format last week. The revised rules state that the qualifying “sprint shootout” will replace Saturday’s second free practice and turn it into a stand-alone event. The grid for the main race was earlier determined by the sprint, but that is no longer the case. Max Verstappen, a two-time world champion, has consistently been against the format and has frequently said that it is not in the “DNA of the sport” and that if it remains, he may not be around for long.

Toto Wolff mocked Verstappen’s desire to get rid of the format after he previously described the Azerbaijan GP as “boring”. He also highlighted how difficult it is to overtake in Baku. Wolff contends that changing the format should not be rushed and modifying it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the overall issue. As per racingnews.com, Wolff said, ” After a racing weekend like this, we shouldn’t generally be negative about it and say, ‘This is the wrong direction, we need to change that.’ It’s more about understanding and reconsidering why it’s not fun.”

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Even being aware of Mercedes’ collapse and the fact that they are currently only competing for second place and have a much slower pace than Red Bull, Toto Wolff continued, “Even with two cars in very good condition and a 22-second gap in the middle. I don’t know who is faster today between Aston Martin, Ferrari and us, because you’re stuck and that’s it. That doesn’t change the overall situation: there are two Red Bulls, then there are three teams and the rest follow them.”

We all know that Red Bull and Mercedes will never share the same opinions on any issue. And while Max Verstappen has opposed the Sprint races on one side, the Mercedes star driver Lewis Hamilton has embraced the idea.

Lewis Hamilton backs the idea of the Sprint format

Lewis Hamilton has always been an advocate of change, whether it be in the Sprint format or in the socioeconomic circumstances of the afflicted humanity. Although his arch-rival Verstappen has always opposed the idea of the Sprint race, Hamilton has welcomed it with open arms.

According to the legendary driver, having two qualifyings session will be ‘super fun’. As quoted by GP fans, the British driver after the race in Australia said, “I do think we constantly need to be evolving and assessing what we’re doing. I think the changes with the sprint races have been positive in some places. I’m open to changes, to continue to make it more inclusive and more engaging for the fans.”

With a slight adjustment, the seven times champion wants to enjoy the new format. “I quite like the Friday of a sprint weekend so far, and I’d love to have more qualifying because that’s always super fun,” said Hamilton, who finished at P7 in the Sprint race at Baku.

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The squad has already said that they will only do significant changes at Imola. So can the Silver Arrows’ gradual improvements pose a threat to other teams until then?