Toto Wolff has agreed with his Ferrari counterpart Fred Vasseur that the Miami Grand Prix represents a “restart” in the current Formula 1 season.

The war in the Middle East has had knock-on effects across the globe and in the Formula 1 world, it has been most keenly felt by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix.

Toto Wolff supports Fred Vasseur Miami GP claim

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The confirmation that both events would be cancelled after both countries were hit by Iranian missiles left the Formula 1 calendar with a five-week break between races and an unexpected early season break.

The teams last took to the track in Japan and will not do so again until early May in the Miami Grand Prix and unlike the summer break, which limits factory work in order to give staff a rest, mechanics and engineers have had free reign to work on the car in this period.

For that reason, Ferrari boss Vasseur suggested the F1 season from Miami and beyond could be entirely different from the one we have experienced thus far.

“From Miami onwards, there will probably be another championship,” Vasseur said in Japan.

“Starting from Miami, a new championship will begin; we need to keep focusing on ourselves and rack up as many points as possible,

“The season will be very long and the pace of progress just as relentless, so we mustn’t let the current situation intimidate us.”

One man hoping that won’t be the case is Toto Wolff after his team amassed 135 in the opening three races, 45 more than second-place Ferrari.

But even he did admit that Miami could be a “restart” for the championships.

“It could well be the case,” he said when presented with Vasseur’s comments. “People have learned now, the teams have learned. Drivers are starting to learn how to optimise these systems to their benefit, and we’ve seen that first indication [in Japan].

“What looked like a home run in the first two races, isn’t the case, as we’ve always warned.

“And then, yeah, Miami is going to be for me a restart. Also how are the upgrades going to work that people are bringing, and how have we optimised all the other systems. It’s going to be exciting.”

Despite their advantage, Wolff has insisted Mercedes need to keep their “feet on the ground” given we are only three races into the season.

“We’re three races in, we’re looking like the heroes but three races from now on, people could be saying, well, no heroes anymore, because the others got stronger.

“So I wouldn’t want at that stage to compare the successful era with what we started here, but definitely we never stopped believing that we would eventually land a car and build the structures that can do that with the right drivers, and to see that finally coming together is nice.”

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