"There has to be some factor limiting"- Here's why Mercedes boss roots for grid penalties in F1

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes grid penalties for engine changes are necessary to maintain equilibrium in the sport. Despite the complicated system, the Austrian believes that the number of engine changes within a season needs to be limited.

Speaking to the on-site media during the 2022 F1 Italian GP weekend, Wolff said:

“We must remind ourselves why we have that. On the chassis side, we are cost-capped, and we weren’t before. On the engine side, we are not cost-capped yet. If there were no grid penalties, we would have qualifying engines. And not five of them, but 20! The big teams and the OEMs would spend what they want in order to have an advantage. So that’s why there needs to be a certain factor that limits that and avoids them. So this is where it’s coming from now. But has it gotten too complicated? For sure.”

The flurry of penalties for the 2022 F1 Italian GP saw heavy criticism of the grid penalty system for engine and component changes. Agreeing that the system was complicated, Wolff felt that there needed to be some policing of the number of such changes.

Despite the disadvantages of the system, the Mercedes team boss suggested that one option to rectify the complicated system was to deduct constructors’ championship points. This, he felt, would cost teams that prioritize the drivers’ championship by using multiple engines in the season in the form of the constructor’s title.

Elaborating further on the grid penalty matter, Wolff said:

“It is a disadvantage that the drivers’ championship is the one that counts. It is then tempting to keep throwing new engines in the car and getting big deductions from the constructors’ while winning the drivers’ championship with a driver who drives every race with a new power source.”

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Mercedes team boss feels the sport should not have a competition over engines

Toto Wolff suggested that despite budget caps, the number of engine changes allowed in a season, currently three, might be low. The Mercedes chief, however, feels the teams will push the envelope and strategically plan their engine changes throughout the year. Therefore, he believes there have to be certain penalties or policing in play when it comes to engine changes.

Explaining the engine changes and their effect on teams, Wolff said:

“We must not forget that all this disappears once the budget cap for engines comes into effect. But still, we don’t want an arms race over bringing engines. No matter how much freedom we get, we’ll keep doing it and then be even more strategic about it because it’s only five or ten places. We will blow up an engine every race because it will be three-tenths faster than the last one. So there must be a certain deterrence.”

In Monza, nine drivers changed their engines, making the calculation of the grid after qualifying a tedious and lengthy affair. The provisional grid was not published until four hours after the race due to complicating procedures in effect. The Mercedes team chief believes that cost caps on engines might change the entire scenario.