Wolff says it's up to Mercedes to catch Red Bull, not F1 rule changes

For eight years (2014 to 2021) Mercedes ruled the F1 roost, pretty much as Red Bull does these days, as the 15 titles in that period testify. But times are tough now. The new rules that kicked in last year, have been unkind to their excellent drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Proven race winners are reduced to midpack contenders in the flick of a season.

The last F1 title Merc won was the Constructors's Championship in 2021, perhaps the most contentious season in the sport's history. Hamilton denied an eighth title on a mad night in Abu Dhabi, which saw Verstappen crowned F1 Champion for the first time.

Speaking to Racefans Wolff recalled: “We probably lost the 2021 drivers’ championship for many reasons. One was the final race. But we also lost it because those regulations were set in place in order to reduce the advantage that we had.

"2020 was a super-dominant year for us. I think it was the best car (Mercedes W12) we’ve ever had. It was the best car we’ve ever had. And then towards the end of the season, they changed the regs by cutting the floor out," lamented the Mercedes team boss.

“That was to stop us," continued Wolff. "And we could see the results in 2021, we were not as competitive as Red Bull was. But in Silverstone, we unlocked more of the potential of the car and got ourselves back into the championship. But back in the day, these regs were clearly targeted to re-establish the pecking order.”

Despite that bit of history, Wolff is reluctant to see F1 rule changes implemented to reel in Red Bull, Verstappen in particular, as teammate Sergio Perez is hardly the same threat in the same mighty and as yet unbeaten RB19.

Wolff explained his stance: “As a team principal, I don’t want to jump on the bandwagon that others have done in the past of saying we need to change the regulations because we can’t continue with the dominance of a team.

"If a team dominates in the way Max has done with Red Bull, then fair dos. This is a meritocracy. As long as you comply with the regulations, technical, sporting and financial, we just need to say: well done.

“It’s up to us to catch up. And, if that takes a long time... then it takes a long time. I remember people crying foul when it was us. Entertainment follows sport, not the other way around. We can’t be WWE and just scripted content. We don’t want to be scripted content," insisted Wolff.