Toto Wolff calls for cancellation of all Sprint Races as he believes ‘entertainment should follow sport’

Toto Wolff lashes out at Sprint Races and demands FIA to scrap the Saturday event altogether as he discussed ‘reverse grids’.

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The Mercedes boss was recently asked about the possibility of introducing ‘reverse grids’ for the Sprint Races to make them more entertaining. Toto Wolff replied with supposed disdain for the idea. Introduced first in 2021, Sprint Races are relatively a new addition to Formula 1. The shorter shootout races featuring no pitstops have gathered mixed reactions since their introduction. Some fans have been more receptive to the idea than others.

Recently, discussions about how to make the Sprint Races more entertaining were sprouting out on Social Media with several fans suggesting a ‘Reverse grid’ start for the shorter format. The Reverse grid simply means that the weaker cars will start the Sprint Race from the top grid positions while the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes will start from the back, in reverse order of the Grand Prix start.

When asked about this idea, Wolf commented that he would want to scrap the F1 Sprints altogether. Wolff expressed his dislike for the format in his reply, as reported by Express.co.uk.

I'd rather have no sprint races than if you start to meddle. Even more with reverse grid races, we are going towards junior formulae where sport follows entertainment, while entertainment should follow sport.

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Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton comment on the US GP disqualification

Lewis Hamilton showed brilliant speed at the Circuit of the Americas for the US Grand Prix, reflected by his eventual runners-up finish behind Max Verstappen. The 7-time World Champion rolled back the years as he rapidly closed the gap to Verstappen in the final laps of the Grand Prix to a mere 2 seconds. The weekend appeared to be very successful for the Briton until the unfortunate news of his disqualification was announced. Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton commented on their turbulent weekend.

Toto Wolff (via imago)
Toto Wolff (via Imago)

Wolff attributed the blame to the team’s decision to select a car setup. 

Set-up choices on a sprint weekend are always a challenge with just one hour of free practice, In the end, all of that doesn't matter – others got it right where we got it wrong and there's no wiggle room in the rules. We need to take it on the chin, do the learning, and come back stronger next weekend.

It was noted by the stewards that Hamilton’s Mercedes failed to pass their post-race checks as the car was set to be too low than the rules would allow. The Car setup that got Hamilton and Charles Leclerc disqualified from the GP increased downforce but the lowered ride height wasn’t permitted by the stewards. The disqualification doesn’t take away from Mercedes’s pace this weekend. Hamilton and Wolff’s comments are reflective of this fact.