On a crucial day for the future of Formula 1, with the April 20 summit set to ratify technical adjustments for the 2026 season, Toto Wolff spoke out to outline both Mercedes’ position and the broader view shared by manufacturers. Speaking to selected media outlets, including GP-News.net, the Austrian team principal called for calm, urging the FIA and the sport’s leadership not to act impulsively under the pressure of recent controversies.
“A scalpel, not a baseball bat”: the approach to regulation changes
After the opening three rounds of the 2026 season, there is a shared understanding that adjustments are needed, particularly regarding energy management. Wolff confirmed that discussions remain open, but warned that Formula 1 must avoid repeating past mistakes, when decisions were made too hastily and ultimately proved worse than the issues they were intended to fix.
“I have to say that the discussions between drivers, the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams have been constructive,” Wolff began. “We all share the same objectives: to improve the product and make racing pure competition. We want to understand what needs to be improved in terms of safety, but we must act with a scalpel and not with a baseball bat. We are arriving at good solutions that I hope we will ratify today. We are only three races into the season and we must learn from the past, when sometimes erratic decisions were taken, going beyond what was necessary and then realizing they did not work.”
The goal, he explained, is to protect the very essence of Formula 1: “We are the custodians of this sport and I am cautiously optimistic that we will improve the racing while protecting what is already good. If you define the objectives from the beginning, such as making qualifying more exciting and addressing safety issues while preserving overtaking, then the steps we are taking seem to be going in the right direction.”
Safety and speed differentials: comparisons with the WEC
Oliver Bearman’s crash at Suzuka has reignited the debate around clipping—the sudden cut in electrical power—and the dangers associated with having cars traveling at significantly different speeds on track. While placing safety as the top priority, Wolff encouraged a broader reflection on the nature of motorsport itself.
“We need to look at Bearman’s incident for what it was: a misjudgment of the situation,” explained the Mercedes team boss. “It is like pressing the boost button or not braking in a corner where you should. Safety must be the absolute priority, but there is a lot of competition in the world that we, as drivers, love despite the risks.”
To illustrate his point, Wolff referenced examples from other racing categories where speed differentials are even greater: “I love Le Mans, I spend nights watching lap times on the screen. Hypercars go through the Porsche curves 30 or 40 km/h faster than GT3 cars. We have seen spectacular accidents due to misjudgments, yet we still love that sport. At the Nordschleife, a GT3 car races at night alongside a Volkswagen Polo driven by amateurs. Even the best Formula 1 drivers love the sport with all the risks it involves. At Imola in the WEC this weekend, the lap time difference between prototypes and GT cars was over 10 seconds. Let’s focus on making systems safer and more predictable, but we must remember that zero risk does not exist.”
Logistics and budget cap: the Middle East uncertainty
Beyond technical issues, Formula 1 in 2026 must also deal with geopolitical instability, which has already led to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix. In recent days, Alan Permane highlighted how the consequences of this situation will affect all teams. Wolff agreed with his Racing Bulls counterpart, particularly regarding transport costs, a critical factor under the Budget Cap regulations.
“Like everyone in the world, we hope the situation calms down and things return to normal so there are no further impacts,” Wolff commented. “We are monitoring worst-case scenarios for travel disruptions and increased shipping costs. The cancellations of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have already been accounted for, but freight costs could rise over the course of the year. We hope this does not compromise our future plans in terms of hosting fees and sponsorships.”
The nostalgia effect and the illusion of the past
Finally, Toto Wolff responded to those who criticize the current Formula 1 “product” by longing for the racing of the early 2000s, pointing out how memory often tends to soften the reality of what actually happened: “We act based on data. What do fans love? What do they not love?” Wolff added. “We respect the hardcore fans, but there is a certain degree of nostalgia that makes the past seem much better than the present. People speak very highly of the 2000s, perhaps forgetting that there were years when you would not see a single overtake in a race.”
The Mercedes team principal concluded by underlining that the key stakeholders in Formula 1 are the first to have an interest in maintaining an entertaining product for the audience: “If this product is boring for viewers, then we gain nothing. We are in a privileged position today because we have a great sport, and it is our responsibility to move it forward without making unsuitable changes.”
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