Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff questions 'silly' change

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Toto Wolff questions 'silly' F1 change

New engine regulations are set to be introduced in F1 next season

Kevin McKenna

Saturday 29 March 2025 11:56

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has spoken out over controversial proposals regarding a major change in Formula 1.

From 2026, the sport is set to welcome new regulations designed to improve racing on the track, as well as improving sustainability off it, with a greater emphasis being placed on the use of electrical power.

Teams have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to prepare for the alterations, but with less than a year to go before they come into force, talks have emerged regarding whether to introduce V10 engines running off entirely sustainable fuels in place of the 2026 hybrids.

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The current plans would run the hybrid engines until the conclusion of the 2030 campaign, but some parties are pushing to make the switch as early as 2028.

Wolff says F1 at risk of looking 'erratic'

With Audi recently confirming that the 2026 engine changes were one of the main factors behind their decision to join the grid next season, F1 bosses risk a furious backlash, with Mercedes team principal Wolff now sharing his concerns over the proposition.

"We are looking a little bit silly as Formula 1 when we are attracting the likes of Audi and we are pitching a great hybrid engine with sustainable fuels, and then suddenly we are saying we actually only want to keep it three years and not five," he told Autosport.

"We need to be a stable and reliable partner that says, 'these are the regulations, that is the investment budget, you need to calculate for it'. And then people can join or not.

"But - before regulations have even started - to say let's look at the next engine and power unit, I just think it makes Formula 1 look a little bit erratic."

Wolff's comments come amid what has been an encouraging opening to the campaign for the Silver Arrows, with the team currently sitting second in the constructors' standings after two rounds.

George Russell has delivered back-to-back podiums in Australia and China respectively, while rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli has made a positive start to his F1 career after taking over the reins from seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton following his blockbuster switch to Ferrari.

With both the Scuderia and Red Bull - who this week axed Liam Lawson - struggling to find any consistency, Wolff hopes that Mercedes could be the team to provide the biggest challenge to early pace-setters McLaren.

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