F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Wolff wary of 'erratic' decisions in light of exciting races

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes the quality of the racing displayed in Bahrain and China proves patience rather than "erratic" decisions should prevail when it comes to the sport's future.

Formula 1's management and fans were unimpressed with the opening round of the world championship in Melbourne and its lack of close racing and overtaking, prompting efforts to improve overtaking in the future.

But Wolff believes the action-packed last two races in Bahrain and China prove that F1 should think twice before changing or tweaking F1's aero package for next year and running the risk of implementing wrong decisions.

"It shows that we are a little bit erratic with our decisions, and one race makes people try to do things that maybe are sometimes not necessary," Wolff told Autosport.

"This is how Formula 1 always was. We had a first stint that you could have judged as being boring. And we had a second half of the race that was unbelievable motor racing.

"We just have to accept it. There are good football games, and there are bad football games. [In China], first half was not good, second half of the match was great excitement."

Force India's Bob Fernley agrees with Wolff's call for patience, although the pink outfit's team principal suggests a few ideas currently on the table could be gradually introduced before 2021.

"We should let it roll a little bit longer, and see where we go," he said.

"There are other things that we could look at and start introducing leading towards the 2021 programme.

"Fundamentally we're very close to it being there. The focus should be on how we can start to bring in the 2021 programme and start getting the benefits of that rather than fixing something that's not really broken."

F1 race director Charlie Whiting said that although Bahrain and China were better races, F1 still needs to look into the matter of overtaking.

"I think we should continue the discussion on this topic," he said. "We saw two good races in a row, but in my opinion, it's quite clear that the difficulty with overtaking remains. So this work needs to be continued."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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