Mercedes boss Toto Wolff fumes at 'joke' F1 meeting

Toto Wolff, Mercedes, Las Vegas, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Mercedes boss Wolff fumes at 'joke' F1 meeting

Toto Wolff doesn't agree with the calling of the meeting

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 23 April 2025 09:43

Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff has proclaimed that the agenda for an upcoming meeting of the F1 commission is 'a joke'.

Following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last weekend, it was announced that a meeting had been called to discuss plans put forward by Wolff's arch nemesis Christian Horner, who has called for a rethink of 2026 regulations.

The new regulations that are set to sweep into the sport next year include a change to the configuration of power units, with a 50/50 split between the internal combustion engine (ICE) and the battery replacing the current 85/15 split.

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However, with concerns mounting over the ability for the new split to be able to power F1 cars down a long straight without them needing to use lift and coast measures, Horner suggested that it should be rolled back to a 64/36 split in 2026.

Red Bull are developing their own power units from 2026 onwards, in partnership with Ford, having ditched their current Honda deal, and Horner has suggested that there are still eight months for Formula One Management (FOM) to be able to make a change to the rules.

Wolff, however, is sceptical of the agenda of the scheduled meeting, describing it as 'hilarious'.

"Reading the agenda of the F1 commission is almost as hilarious as reading some of the comments that I see on Twitter on American politics," Wolff told media after Sunday's race.

"I really want to protect ourselves and make no comment, but it's a joke. A week ago, there was an engine meeting and then things like this end up on the agenda again."

2026 F1 problems

The new F1 power units will include an electrical input of 350kW, up from the 120kW that is currently in place following the start of the hybrid era in 2014.

An increased reliance on electrical energy will help the sport to lower its impact on the environment, helping to achieve the carbon net zero target that has been set for 2030.

However, there are beginning to be concerns that at more power-sensitive circuits such as Monza, Spa Francorchamps and the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia, the new cars may simply run out of power.

There are talks that to avoid an energy-conserving mode being adopted by drivers during these particular races, F1 could decrease the reliance on electrical energy only at these tracks, but Horner has argued that things need to be changed more radically.

Speaking to The Race, Horner said: "What we desperately want to avoid is a situation where drivers are lifting and coasting from halfway down the straight.

"That will frustrate the drivers. It will be bad for the spectacle of out and out racing. The FIA have all the info, and waiting until the start of next year to do something is arguably too late. We've still got eight months to sort things out.

"I think the FIA have obviously started to see something that concerns them, and it's only right that they address it with plenty of time, which there still is, in time for next year's rules introduction."

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Mercedes Christian Horner Toto Wolff 2026 regulations Saudi Arabian Grand Prix F1 commission