F1 Austrian Grand Prix: Fine teams for ‘long shot’ protests, says Wolff

Formula One teams should be fined if they fail in ‘long shot’ protests against rivals, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said on Friday.

The Austrian told reporters at his home grand prix that the governing FIA was already looking into the possibility of such a measure.

Rival Red Bull has protested twice in the space of five races, and without success, against Mercedes driver George Russell.

In Canada two weeks ago, where Russell won and Verstappen finished second, the result of the race was not confirmed until more than five hours after the chequered flag due to the enquiry.

READ | Max Verstappen heads into Red Bull’s home race with upgrades and growing uncertainty

One of the protests in Montreal, alleging a safety car infringement, was withdrawn while the other claimed Russell had been ‘unsportsmanlike’ in his driving.

“I think it’s absolutely legitimate to protest. We are fighting for race wins and championships. And if you have the opinion that what you’ve seen is not right, then you should protest,” said Wolff.

“But some of these actions are just really not real.

“There are things that, from my perspective, are legit to protest and others that are just a little bit of a too long shot.”

Wolff said nobody was a fan of higher fines, and Formula One needed to be mindful of the real world and not be seen as over the top.

“But in that (Canadian GP) instance, absolutely put in a fine, and I think the president of the FIA is working on that. Put in a fine that, at least if you lose it, is a little bit of an embarrassment that you lost so much money, and you’re going to think twice whether you do it,” he added.

“I think this is along the lines the FIA are thinking.”

Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley, who was previously at Red Bull, said it was important for teams to have the right to protest and making it prohibitive would likely result in more problems.