F1: Wolff – grid penalties for new F1 engines the best. We disagree!!

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks there is no better alternative solution to grid penalties for new engines.

We could not disagree more.

“We must remind ourselves why we have that,” Wolff said about the engine penalty system. “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.”

“I think we need to reconsider when the engine cap kicks in, and then that all [excessive grid penalties] goes away. But still, we don’t want to have an arms race on engines being brought.

“Whatever freedom you give us, we will do it, and we will do it even more strategically because it’s only five places or 10 places.

“We will blow an engine every race because it’s going to be three tenths quicker than the one before. So there needs to be a certain deterrent.”

AutoRacing1.com Opinion

Grid penalties against the driver are confusing to the fans, and so unfair to the driver.  It is not the driver’s fault if their engine fails, it’s the engine manufacturer’s fault.

And since it is the engine manufacturer’s fault, they should suffer the consequences, not the driver.

Solution

Instead of grid penalties for a 4th, 5th or 6th engines, the engine manufacturer should be required to hand over a check to the FIA in the following amounts:

4th engine of year: $1 million
5th engine of year: $5 million
6th(+) engine of year: $10 million, another $10million for the 7th, etc.

Similarly, a price can be established for parts – such as a turbocharger, transmission, energy store, etc.

This negates all of Wolff’s concerns and makes the engine manufacturer feel the pain for their crappy engines……not the driver nor the fans.

Mark C. reporting for AutoRacing1.com