Toto Wolff says that F1 must learn from the return to tracks like Imola and Istanbul and avoid going back down the route of "supermarket parking lots".

Whatever else the pandemic has brought us, the need to put together a schedule saw F1 accept the need to return to a few old favourites, in terms of circuits, and welcome a few new ones.

The Nurburgring, Imola and Istanbul were brought out of F1 mothballs, while the sport made maiden visits to Mugello and Portimao.

Though Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have effectively walked away with the championship once again, in a week in which it has been confirmed that Saudi Arabia is to hold its first F1 Grand Prix, on a street circuit, Toto Wolff warns that the sport must learn that "parking lot" tracks are not the way to go.

Proposing a 23 race calendar next year, the tracks that were deemed vital in order to put together the 2020 schedule will be dropped, and though circuits like Imola, the Nurburgring and Istanbul have indicated a desire to become regulars, this is unlikely to happen.

"I've always been very vocal about the fact that I disagree with the direction we have taken on racing on oversized supermarket parking lots because it takes the factor of the driver, his skill, away," says Wolff. "Therefore, I really like racing in Imola, in Mugello and the tracks where you really analyse things if you make a mistake.

"I think we need to bring gravel back to make sure when you are flying off that you can't rejoin without any damage to your car," he adds.

"I think you probably can adapt most of the circuits to that kind of standard but these classic and historic race tracks will always have soul and now you can say that from the modern circuits, Bahrain has a soul also because we've been in Bahrain a long time and these guys have been partners to F1 for a long time, but maybe we need to adapt the circuits in exactly the way I've described.

"I am not a circuit designer," her continues, "I am just giving you my feedback from an ex-racing driver and based on the TV pictures that I've seen from Mugello, Portimao and Imola."