Toto Wolff claimed that despite disputes over rule revisions, cost cap violations, and race control activities, Formula 1's political squabbles through 2022 seemed to be "business as usual."
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When the new-design cars for 2022 made their debut in February, Mercedes was one of the teams that was most negatively affected by the porpoising problem that affected the majority of the grid. The issue became so severe that the FIA intervened on the basis of safety and changed the aerodynamic rules for 2023, a decision that some teams, including Red Bull, had fought against. When Red Bull was found to have violated the cost cap in 2021, there was a louder uproar, and several competitors demanded stronger sanctions than the $7 million fine and restrictions on aerodynamic testing.
Additionally, the activities of the FIA’s revised race control system, which eventually abandoned its rotation of race directors, were frequently contested. When asked about the many political squabbles in Formula One through 2022 by Motorsport.com, Mercedes F1 CEO Toto Wolff believed they were to be expected as teams fought to maintain their positions. According to Wolff, “it’s about safeguarding your own structure and I think we all do that, trying to remain ahead or to protect, or in some ways to understand where the politics go.” I believe it to be rather usual. There didn’t seem to be either more or fewer games, in my opinion. Everyone sort of follows their own norms when living. “I would say that it was pretty much business as usual,” the speaker said.
Wolff believed that the FIA’s punishment was probably “too much” for Red Bull but “too little” for Mercedes after the decision and concentrated on the effectiveness of the governance structure to prevent teams from future violations. Beyond the financial and sports costs, which are obviously felt in the outside world, there are significant reputational repercussions, according to Wolff in Mexico. And for that reason, in my opinion, no team will ever stray from the path, since you don’t want to draw your teammates and partners into this area. “We reside in a world that is open and conforming. The sport requires governance, as does everything else. This represents the process’ true accomplishment in terms of sport overall.
