Toto Wolff called out for Nico Rosberg hypocrisy after making FIA plea

Karun Chandhok has accused Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff of being hypocritical after urging the FIA to find more ways to improve the racing spectacle for fans amid Red Bull’s continued dominance over the last two seasons. The Silver Arrows have struggled to keep up with their Austrian rivals since the start of last year, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez seemingly in a league of their own at the front of the grid as things stand.

Red Bull managed to register a one-two finish at last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which saw the introduction of a new sprint format that was subjected to mixed reviews after the on-track action had concluded. Wolff went on to express his view that further steps should be taken to improve the spectacle during the race on Sunday, rather than chopping and changing with general format alterations involving sprints and shootouts.

“Today wasn’t a thriller, just no overtaking, it made it not great entertainment,” said Wolff. “It needs the tough battles, and I think the highlight [in the sprint] was George [Russell] and Max being able to battle it out.

“There was none of that in the main race. Even if you are within 0.2 of a second, it is nearly impossible to overtake unless the other driver makes a mistake. We need to really look at it, we need to look at how we can avoid just a boring race.

JUST IN: Verstappen’s gesture towards Perez speaks volumes after Baku setback

“It’s about understanding why it was not entertaining. We have two cars that are sailing off into the sunset on merit and then we have a 20-second gap.”

Wolff has since been called out for his comments by Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok, who pointed out that the Austrian was one of the greatest beneficiaries from Mercedes’ dominance between 2014 and 2021 and did not complain when Nico Rosberg strolled to an uneventful victory in Baku seven years ago.

Chandhok tweeted: “Didn’t hear much pleading when Rosberg won the utter snoozefest in 2016.”

The main issue this year appears to be the changes to the floor of cars that were introduced in an attempt to tackle bouncing on long straights, which has made it harder to follow the driver in front when compared to last season. Teams have also made no shortage of progress in maximising the downforce levels produced by their cars, although Red Bull have clearly done more than most and are reaping the rewards after taking three one-twos from the first four rounds in 2023.

Although the race on Sunday was far from the most exciting Grand Prix in recent memory, there was some late drama when Esteban Ocon narrowly avoided a group of eager photographers who had been let into the pit lane too early. The Frenchman needed to make his first and only stop of the race with just one lap remaining but was forced to avoid crashing into several people on his entry into the pits, with the FIA having promised to avoid a repeat of the incident in future after a post-race investigation.

Follow our new Express Sport page on Instagram here.