F1 News: Wolff believes "maybe five" teams could fight for wins in F1

Toto Wolff expects closer competition.

Toto Wolff believes that several teams can become contenders in F1 moving forward, as he anticipates the new regulations will bring the grid closer together. 

F1 has invested significant energy into the 2022 regulations, which have been designed to bring the field closer together and facilitate a higher quality of racing.

The budget cap is another crucial change that Formula 1 has implemented, which is designed to prevent heavyweights like Mercedes from simply out-developing rivals by increasing spending. 

With overall spending now limited, midfield teams stand a fairer chance of closing the gap to the front. 

This does not undo the improved facilities and infrastructure of the more established outfits in F1, but the cap certainly helps to level the playing field. 

So far, the top three teams (Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari) continue to dominate the sport. 

However, it would be unrealistic to expect the new regulations to close the gap between the midfield and the front immediately. 

Speaking to the media, Toto Wolff has explained that F1's budget cap will help improve competition:

"It's a relative competition, and we know who our competitors are today. There will be others tomorrow and after tomorrow because of the cost cap limits.

"This is what the sport should be, not one team, not three, but maybe five [fighting at the front], and the landscape has changed. 

"I don't think anybody will run away with eight championships in a row going forward. 

"And this is the way the regulations have been designed."

Wolff's analysis is accurate in theory, but it remains unclear whether this will eventually materialise on track. 

The last decade has proven that progressing from the midfield to the front of the field is immensely difficult, so expecting drastic change seems overly optimistic. 

Then again, with the 2023 season only months away, F1 will have another opportunity to observe the efficacy of the budget cap.