Toto Wolff sends clear message to F1 rivals 'snitching' to FIA

Toto Wolff is done with his F1 rivals snitching on Mercedes to the FIA as concerns over their engine trick continue to rumble on.

Mercedes' dominance in 2026 was apparent from round one in Melbourne, and drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have secured a 1-2 in both Australia and China.

While the whole W17 package is to be commended, there is one element of the Mercedes power unit which has particularly captured public interest, and that is their trick with the geometric compression ratio.

Essentially, Mercedes have managed to get their power unit running at a compression rate of around 18:1 when they're hot and on track, but can still pass the 16:1 ambient temperature checks.

From June 1, however, the compression ratio will be measured at 130C as well as ambient temperature, and from next year only at 130C, meaning that Mercedes will have to make adjustments to ensure their power unit is deemed legal following complaints from their rivals.

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Wolff: F1 engine saga is tiresome

When questioned on the legality of the Mercedes power unit, Wolff has been exasperated over the fact that their pace has been called into question, and recently expressed these sentiments to French publication L'Equipe.

Wolff said: "I think that for things that are really black and white, where someone has done a better job, it’s not right to keep, how do you say, ‘poking’? What do you call it?"

When the reporter suggested the word 'snitching', Wolff then replied: "Yes, that’s it. Snitching to the head of security – I find that tiresome. They’ve kept going to the FIA to complain, but the FIA tells them everything is legal.

"The FIA tells them a second time, and even a third, and in the end, they say they’ll look into it, even though the president himself stated that everything is 100 per cent legal.

Wolff confirmed he was talking about the Mercedes compression ratio, and then rubbished any claims his team were cheating: "An ingenious idea is one that complies with a rule and has been approved by the FIA. It meets the rule. That’s an ingenious idea."

Mercedes lead F1 2026 standings

George Russell leads the 2026 drivers' standings with 51 points, four ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli and 17 ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Meanwhile, Mercedes lord it above Ferrari in the constructors' standings by 31 points.

F1 2026 Drivers' Standings

F1 2026 Constructors' Standings

F1 Engine Compression Ratio: What is it and why is it so controversial?

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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