Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggests that Formula 1 should maintain an `open-minded` stance regarding a proposed late change to the new 2026 power unit regulations, despite his earlier strong disapproval, which he had described as `a joke`.
A meeting of the F1 Commission recently took place to discuss the possibility of reducing the electrical energy output from the power units. Making such significant regulation changes this close to a major overhaul of the rules is considered unusual in F1.
While a vote on the proposal was anticipated, it did not occur. For the regulation changes to be approved, four out of the five registered engine manufacturers – Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull-Ford Powertrains, Audi, and Honda – would have needed to vote in favour.
The 2026 regulations are currently planned around a 50-50 split in power output between the internal combustion engine and electricity. This is a significant increase compared to the approximately 20% electrical power used in the current 2025 units. The proposed change would have lowered the electrical motor`s power output in race trim from 350kW to 200kW, resulting in a power distribution closer to 60-40, favouring the combustion engine.
Before the recent meeting, Wolff had been a vocal critic of the proposal, famously stating it was `almost as hilarious as reading some of the comments that I see on Twitter on American politics`. However, his perspective has now shifted.
“Obviously, the closer you come to new regulations, the more people act – all of us – in the interest of the team, that`s their duty,” Wolff stated.
“Where we`re coming from is we don`t know how it`s going to pan out next year. Are we going to see energy harvesting disasters in Baku or Monza? I don`t know. We hope not.” (Wolff)
“What we`ve signalled is that, rather than act now based on assumptions – like we`ve been great at in previous years and then overshot or undershot – you don`t need to throw the hardware away and come up with something new – it`s within the software and bandwidth of what you can do.” (Wolff)
“We`ll see the final product next year in testing. As a power unit manufacturer, we want this to be a great show. We want to win, but we are also aware that in the sport there needs to be variability and unpredictability.” (Wolff)
Mercedes is widely believed to be advanced in their preparations for 2026, which represents the biggest rule change in F1 history, with almost every technical regulation set to be modified.
The last significant engine regulation change in 2014 saw Mercedes dominate for three seasons with drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg before other teams like Ferrari and Red Bull eventually caught up.
The team secured a record eight consecutive constructors` championships between 2014 and 2021, alongside seven consecutive drivers` titles during this period.
“We enjoyed the years from 2014 onwards, but over a prolonged period of time, that`s certainly not the best for the sport,” Wolff continued.
“I try to be very balanced between what is good for Mercedes, which I need to do, and what is the right solution going forward. We need to avoid these swings.” (Wolff)
“The FIA proposed this engine. Nobody liked it. The 50 per cent electric back in the day was where road cars were going to and it was a reason to attract manufacturers like Audi and Porsche. So, we did that.” (Wolff)
“It`s difficult to change the goalposts, especially for the new ones. Honda recommitted, and Audi committed, and including us, they are not keen on changing those goalposts at this stage. But we need to be open-minded if necessary.” (Wolff)
| Team | Engine |
|---|---|
| McLaren | Mercedes |
| Mercedes | Mercedes |
| Red Bull | Red Bull-Ford |
| Ferrari | Ferrari |
| Williams | Mercedes |
| Haas | Ferrari |
| Aston Martin | Honda |
| Racing Bulls | Red Bull-Ford |
| Alpine | Mercedes |
| Audi | Audi |
| Cadillac | Ferrari |
Horner Views Proposal as Long-Standing Concern
Red Bull is preparing to enter a new technical partnership era with Ford as they develop their own Red Bull Powertrains engine.
Christian Horner, Red Bull`s team principal, has previously described the proposal as `pretty sensible` and believes that any changes to electrical output would primarily aim to enhance the racing spectacle.
“The biggest concern is one that is not new. It`s one that`s been flagged from two years ago by all the PUMs (power unit manufacturers) is the amount of harvesting there is,” Horner stated.
“Inevitably the chassis designers will outperform the criteria of the regulations, and a consequence of that will be the amount of lift-and-coast that there will be in a Grand Prix.” (Horner)
“You also have to remember that under the 2026 regs, the car is effectively constantly in DRS mode. As soon as you enter the straight, the wing opens. So, there`ll be no passing mechanism.” (Horner)
“The FIA have raised this topic that was looked at a little while ago again by the PUMs. If it`s genuinely in the interest of the sport and racing, not to have all this lifting and coasting, then I think it`s something that warrants looking at. It doesn`t change the spec or output of the engine. It`s just the amount of battery deployment maybe at certain Grands Prix.” (Horner)
Disagreement Between Wolff and Horner on 2026 Car Weight
Another topic concerning the 2026 regulations is the challenge of meeting the minimum car weight target of 768kg, which is 32kg lighter than current cars.
The FIA reduced the weight limit in an effort to make the next generation of cars more nimble and improve racing, a goal expected to be aided by reduced wheelbase and width.
However, Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes that the new, heavier power units will offset the weight savings from the smaller car dimensions and tyres.
“A number was plucked out of the air for car weight. We`ve got engines that are significantly heavier and a car weight that has become lower,” Horner commented.
“So it will be an enormous challenge for every team to achieve it. Saving weight costs a colossal amount of money. There was a discussion last week about introducing steel skids – maybe that would warrant adding 5 kilos to the minimum weight.” (Horner)
“But it is what it is. It`s the same for everybody. There will be choices teams make to hit the weight, because weight is free lap time.” (Horner)
In F1, saving 10kg typically translates to a gain of roughly three tenths of a second per lap, a substantial difference. Therefore, a team`s ability to manage car weight will be a key factor in determining the competitive order.
Toto Wolff, on the other hand, supports the FIA`s current minimum weight target for 2026.
“Like Christian said, you make choices as a team. How much lap time do you attribute to weight and ballast? Where do you want to save?” he explained.
“You may compromise other performance parts if you want to reduce your weight, or the opposite. It is challenging. The reason we`re doing it is to make the cars more nimble. Is that something that was important? I think it was. We`ve got to start somewhere. That initial step is difficult, but it`s the same for everyone.” (Wolff)
