F1 needs to leave "supermarket car park" tracks - Wolff

Formula 1 needs to move away from tracks that are like "supermarket car parks" and race more at old-school venues like Monte Carlo that deliver a proper challenge for drivers, claims Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff.

Toto Wolff, Executive Director Mercedes AMG F1

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-Benz F1 W08 Hybrid

Felipe Massa, Williams FW38 Mercedes, leads Sergio Perez, Force India VJM09 Mercedes

The Austrian, who has helped guide his team to three successive F1 title doubles, says his perspective on what F1 needs to be has changed after spending last week competing in the famous Italian Mille Miglia road race.

And he says the experience has left him more convinced than ever about F1 needing to do more to make sure aspects of it that are attractive for fans are embraced, like races taking place on proper circuits.

"The DNA of F1 was about the best technology, with the best drivers sitting on a bullet and trying to drive that bullet," explained Wolff in Monte Carlo.

"Somehow [on the Mille Miglia] this became clear to me why I love this sport. It is about doing something that nobody else dared to do, and with the passion for cars.

"Motor racing is a life, and there is so much passion and so much emotion, throughout all the generation for cars and drivers.

"To drive these cars today you need courage, more on some tracks than others, and we don't want to race on tracks that are like supermarket car parks.

"When you missed a corner in the old days you were dead or hurt. Today, you miss a corner, you run wide and rejoin. But not in Monte Carlo, maybe not in Spa, maybe not in Monza, and maybe not in Suzuka.

"We need to go back to tracks where you realise who the best are. This [Monaco] is one of those tracks. This is where we need to go back."

Street circuits

Wolff also thinks that one of the ways that F1 can deliver the tracks he is talking about is by adding more street venues to the calendar.

"Absolutely," he said. "And it is not only about watching the Mille Miglia and seeing you can go quite fast in cities.

"The success of Formula E is being in town. The cars are not spectacular but they look fast in a city context, and you can see the attraction of Monte Carlo.

"So I think we should be moving away from the airport-like structures. It is not spectacular.

"I can sit in an F1 car [at tracks like this]. Give me two weeks of training, I will spin the car 100 times, I will look at the data and maybe I will go quite fast because maybe there is no risk."