"Within two years we will have five teams capable of winning races" - Mercedes boss refutes Fernando Alonso's 'boring F1' remarks

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has refuted Fernando Alonso's remarks about F1 being 'boring' in 2022. The world champion claimed the new regulations have failed as there are still only two teams fighting for wins.

Wolff predicts that there could be as many as five teams battling for wins by 2024 as the spending cap levels the playing field. The budget cap will stop big spenders like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull from being the only teams capable of winning F1 races in the coming years, says the Austrian.

Mercedes too has been unable to win a race so far in 2022. Lewis Hamilton came considerably close at the 2022 British GP but had to eventually settle for third place behind Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez. The team has, however, managed to solve the immense porpoising issues that plagued it at the start of the season.

Speaking about the new regulations and the cost cap to Gazzetta dello Sport, Wolff said:

“I believe the spending cap will compact the group. Within two years we will have five teams capable of winning races and after another three, as many fighting for the World Championship.”

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Former F1 driver believes Mercedes can still win races in 2022

Mercedes has always been a dangerous team and can still pick up wins in the 2022 F1 season with a bit of luck, according to former Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde. The team has been on the back foot ever since the new regulations kicked in at the start of the 2022 season and has fallen behind the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari. The race weekends in France and Hungary brought the German team some solace with consecutive double podium finishes, but its search for its first win in 2022 remains.

In an interview carried by RacingNews365's Dutch affiliate, the 37-year-old said:

“Mercedes is always a dangerous team. They have the knowledge, the know-how and they have already proven they can build good cars. The step they’ve taken in the last few races is incredibly big. It is nice that they are on the podium, but this year is otherwise hopeless. Maybe with luck they can win another race, but with a good car you can definitely put them back on the list for 2023.”

The German team is currently only 30 points behind Ferrari in the constructors' championship and is likely to catch the Scuderia given its stellar reliability and consistency so far this season.

However, Toto Wolff has claimed that the team is not interested in a second-place finish and would rather win a few races before the season ends. Only time will tell if Mercedes will be able to return to the top step of the podium in 2022.