"It is a fine adjustment" - Mercedes on their reduced wind tunnel time as compared to backmarkers

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes it is right for his team to get less development time compared to backmarkers ahead of the new season. The Austrian exec supports F1's vision of closer racing as it would improve the sport's overall level of competition.

F1's new rules were designed to close the gap between front runners such as Red Bull and back runners such as Haas. These teams are usually separated by a huge margin on track.

Subsequently, teams that placed higher in 2021 got less time in the wind tunnel when compared to backmarkers. The purpose of this regulation is to try and bridge the large gap in performance between all teams, making the sport more competitive.

Toto Wolff completely agrees with this regulation, claiming that Mercedes is not greatly disadvantaged by the difference in development times. He said:

“The regulations were designed for the specific purpose of making the field more competitive and not having these huge gaps. It is a fine adjustment. I think between P1, P2 and P3 it is not a big disadvantage. Obviously, if one of the top teams is a real outlier, like Ferrari in the first half of 2021, it can be [worth] up to a couple of tenths [of a second] if you extrapolate from your own development curve. But this is what was meant with the whole thing. The teams further back - P7, P8, P9 and P10 - will have, I think it is up to 20 per cent more, development time and this is how it should be.”

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff praises the various development routes taken by teams

The first round of pre-season testing recently concluded in Barcelona. All teams brought radical new designs to the track, with some cars generating a considerable amount of hype for the new season.

Toto Wolff believes innovation is a central aspect of the sport. The Mercedes team principal shared his excitement for the various development strategies taken by the teams, saying:

“Everybody was continuing to develop their own car, that is what you need to focus on. But obviously from a fans’ perspective, which I count myself as well, looking at the other concepts and seeing what everybody has come out with and the interpretation of the regulations is fascinating. This is what makes Formula 1.”

While it is unclear which team has developed the fastest car this year, Mercedes are likely to butt heads with Red Bull and Ferrari once again in the coming months.