Wolff: New qualifying format is not a good idea

The best time in Saturday’s practice was shown by Lewis Hamilton, and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff recalled that the Hungaroring is one of the seven-time world champion’s favorite circuits. At the same time, he also said he did not like the new qualifying format being experimented with this weekend.

Toto Wolff: “First of all, it should be emphasized that the new qualifying format and the experimental approach to using rubber are somehow strange. Yesterday we had the option to release only one set of Medium tires, and that’s not good. But today, for the first time this weekend, we installed soft tires and they provided excellent grip.

Of course, Lewis loves this number, and only because of this he manages to add a few tenths. After yesterday’s practice we made big changes to the car’s settings, and the car went much faster on the soft tyres. Overall, George said the W14 has been completely redesigned, but we don’t think these tires can be used in the race. However, let’s see what awaits us tomorrow, and I do not exclude that we will have to act differently one way or another.

But in general I think experimenting with a new qualifying format in the middle of the season is not a good idea. The main reason is that efforts are being made to reduce the impact on the environment, although essentially little has changed. I agree with those who believe that if the current qualification format is suitable for everyone then it should not be changed.”

The head of the Mercedes team also emphasized that they are increasingly switching to work with the 2024 car: “We are already very much involved in the project of a new car, although we still have a lot to think about and understand. In any case, we are slowly but surely switching to working with the car for the upcoming season, and this process will continue throughout the summer.