MX23RW : Wednesday, December 11 19:35:11| >> :600:126873:126873:

Mercedes made 'worst start to season in seven years'

Mercedes made 'worst start to season in seven years'
© Reuters
Williams' new CEO Jost Capito hopes Formula 1 steers away from "artificial restrictions on competition".

Williams' new CEO Jost Capito hopes Formula 1 steers away from "artificial restrictions on competition".

He was speaking as most analysts agree that Mercedes, having dominated every championship of the hybrid era since 2014, is suddenly suffering with the mandatory aerodynamic rule tweaks ahead of the 2021 season.

"If we talk about the favourites for the championship, it is still Mercedes," said Ferrari's Laurent Mekies, who will lead the Maranello team in Mattia Binotto's absence at some races this season.

"But it was probably their worst start to a season in seven years," he added.

Many would warmly welcome a non-Mercedes title this year, but Williams' Capito hopes that Formula 1 does not try to artificially equalise performance with various rule changes.

"If a team dominates for years, it is because it is a better team than the others," he said.

"For example, in rallying when Volkswagen achieved incredible success, Jean Todt once came up to me and said 'You win too often'. To that I answered 'You'd better tell the others that they lose too often'.

"I think in motorsport, especially in Formula 1, there should be no artificial restrictions on competition. If someone wins ten years in a row, let them. The rest must catch up with them," Capito added.

Too many artificial restrictions, he says, will damage the sport.

"If the value of Formula 1 decreases, it decreases for everyone involved," said Capito. "At team meetings, I will always advocate for decisions that benefit the sport rather than some team or another."

ID:439849:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect2295:
Written by
GMM F1

Click here for more stories about Mattia Binotto

Click here for more stories about Mercedes

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Mercedes driver George Russell in action during the practice pool for the Sakhir Grand Prix on December 4, 2020
Read Next:
'No promises' about 2022 Mercedes seat - Russell
>
rhs 2.0


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!