Wolff critical of Pirelli's special Qatar GP rule: 'It never works'

11:31, 02 Dec

bySamson Ero

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has criticised the tyre-stint limit imposed by Pirelli at the Qatar Grand Prix, insisting the tyre rule “never works.”

“The mandatory two-stop never works.”

- Toto Wolff

Speaking to GPblog in Qatar, the 53-year-old argued that such restrictions ultimately force all teams into the same strategy, removing variety and reducing the unpredictability of races.

“I think the mandatory two-stop never works. I think everybody’s going to pit at the same time. I’ve had it in TTM where we played all variants: mandatory stops, mandatory stops within a certain window, playing around with tyres, none of it ever works,” Wolff said.

Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff - Photo: RacePictures

The Austrian motorsport chief further stressed the need for strategies to develop more naturally, thereby creating a more dynamic racing.

“You just need to let the strategies play out. You need to let people pit on a one-stop and have them fight with a tyre that degrades, while others go on a two-stop and fight their way back to the front with sheer pace. That’s what you need to do,” he added.

Wolff concluded by suggesting possible changes to the Lusail International Circuit layout if organisers aim to provide more overtaking opportunities.

“I think Qatar is such a spectacular venue. It’s a great place. What these guys have done here in the paddock is really, really admirable.”

“We may need to have a look at the layout and whether extending the DRS zone is the easiest way of providing an overtaking opportunity. Maybe you can tighten Turn 1 in combination with the DRS zone. So yeah, that needs to be looked at,” he concluded.

At the Qatar Grand Prix, tyre manufacturers Pirelli, alongside the FIA, imposed a tyre stint limit of 25 laps to avoid possible punctures due to the aggressive degradation the Lusail track has often had on tyre wear.

Haas team boss suggests tyre solution to Pirelli

Earlier, Haas F1 team boss Ayao Komatsu suggested a solution to the tyre-wear problem, which led to the mandatory two-stop rule imposed for the Qatar race.

The 49-year-old suggested Pirelli reconsider the construction of its tyres, building them tough enough to withstand the aggressive degradation of the Qatar track.