Wolff shows appreciation: "They are under so much pressure"

The Grands Prix of Brazil and Qatar were partly dominated by penalties from the race committee. Lewis Hamilton was disqualified for a DRS infraction, while Max Verstappen was penalised with a five-place grid penalty in Qatar for ignoring a double yellow flag. It caused a lot of irritation among the teams, but Toto Wolff remains confident in the decision making process.

The Austrian Mercedes team boss believes the stewards have a very tough job to do especially this season. This was evident from the time it took them to make decisions. For example, in Brazil it took almost a day for Hamilton to be told he had to start at the back of the grid for the sprint race.

"In Brazil, I very much rate Tim Meyer, who was the head steward there," Wolff states in conversation with Speedcafe.com. "I think it was just the circumstances were bizarre. They are under so much pressure. I wouldn’t want to say about any stewards that they’re good or bad because I wouldn’t want to be in a steward seat, because somebody is always going to complain."

According to Wolff, there is sometimes a lack of appreciation. "I think being a steward is a professional job, and it should be well paid, the pressure should be rewarded. Whether it’s a permanent institution, I don’t know, but in any case, the best people should be doing it. And I think we’ve seen many, many good stewards and I still trust in any outcome."