Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff urges FIA not to meddle with title fight

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Toto Wolff

Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff urges FIA not to meddle with title fight

Toto Wolff has expressed his concerns about any upgrade opportunities awarded to his rivals

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 20 April 2026 17:42

Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff has warned the FIA not to interfere in the championship fight in regards to engine upgrades.

The Brackley-based team are a gulf ahead of their F1 rivals in 2026, with Ferrari and McLaren working tirelessly to close the gap to Mercedes. From the Miami Grand Prix onwards, Mercedes' rival power unit manufactures will have their best chance to catch up the championship leaders through Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO).

Any manufacturer whose Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Performance Index is two per cent behind the leading engine performance is allowed an extra upgrade this season.

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The first review of engine performance was scheduled after the first six races of the season, originally Miami, but given the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix there has been no official decision as to when this review will take place.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur in particular believes that they are likely to receive ADUO, when it comes, and it's their best chance to catch up to Mercedes. But Wolff has warned the FIA not to use the upgrades as a method of meddling in the championship fight.

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Wolff: Gamesmanship hasn't got any place here

Speaking to the media on Monday, when F1 team principals and executives met with the FIA and F1 to discuss the new rules, Wolff urged caution with ADUO.

"It needs to be very clear that whatever decisions are being made, whichever team is granted an ADUO, that any such decision may have a big impact on the performance picture and on the championship if not done with absolute precision and clarity and transparency," Wolff said.

"It needs to be clear that gamesmanship hasn’t got any place here. But it needs to be with the right spirit here that the FIA acts upon an ADUO."

Wolff also claimed that 'one engine manufacturer has a problem and we need to help', seemingly referring to Aston Martin and Honda, and then added: "all the others are pretty much in the same ballpark."

"So I would be very surprised actually to see, and disappointed, if ADUO decisions were done (that) would come up with any interferences into the competitive pecking order as it stands at the moment."

"Because you don’t want to allow an ADUO to a team that suddenly leapfrogs someone. The ADUO was always meant as a catch-up mechanism and not as a leapfrog mechanism."

F1 Mercedes FIA Toto Wolff