F1 bosses ‘will use scalpel not baseball bat’ to change regulations, insists Wolff

The Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is confident Formula One will find a constructive way forward in an approach of using a “scalpel rather than a baseball bat”, as the sport’s leaders meets on Monday to agree changes to the new regulations which have come in for considerable criticism over the opening three races this year.

Technical and sporting considerations have been discussed twice since the last round in Japan and on Monday the senior representatives, including the FIA, team principals and their CEOs, the power-unit manufacturers and F1’s CEO Stefano Domenicali met to agree the changes, which remain subject to ratification by the world motorsport council. It is expected this will be in time for the next round in Miami on 3 May.

Before any decisions were announced Wolff, whose Mercedes team leads the world championship and has the quickest car, was optimistic all the parties would come to an agreement for the benefit of the sport and safety.

“The discussions that have been taking place between the group of drivers, the FIA, Formula 1, and the teams have been constructive and we all share the same objectives,” he said. “It’s how can we improve the product, make it out-and-out racing and look at what can improve in terms of safety, but act with a scalpel and not with a baseball bat. We are coming to good solutions that we are going to ratify hopefully today, in order to evolve, because it’s only three races in.”

On Sunday the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem described what had been a “constructive and collaborative” engagement with the drivers during the process. “The drivers have provided invaluable input on adjustments which they feel should be made, particularly in the areas of energy management to ensure safe, fair and competitive racing,” he said.

There has been disquiet among many drivers at the role energy management now plays in the sport with an almost 50-50 split between power form the combustion engine and electrical energy. The deployment and recharging of the latter has come to dominate how drivers approach a lap, with four-time champion Max Verstappen so unhappy at the how it has impacted racing that he is considering his future in F1.

The energy management requirements has also brought safety sharply into focus when Oliver Bearman suffered an accident at Suzuka because of the differing closing speeds of cars managing electrical energy in different modes at the same point on track. All of these issues will be addressed at Monday’s meeting.

“I am carefully optimistic that we’re going to improve the racing, while keeping the racing really good,” said Wolff. “While we need to protect the safety of the drivers and this needs to be of utmost priority and importance, there’s plenty of brilliant racing happening in the world that we as racers love.