Toto Wolff to the upcoming e-vote on Mercedes’ controversial new engine, which has already been widely criticised by the likes of Max Verstappen
Toto Wolff has had his say on the upcoming vote regarding Mercedes’ engines and other like it(Image: YouTube/Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team)
Toto Wolff has branded the controversy surrounding Mercedes’ new engine for the 2026 F1 season as a “storm in a teacup.” The FIA recently approved the Brackley-based outfit’s use of their new engine until at least the summer break.
It’s understood Mercedes have discovered a method to boost the compression ratio of their power units beyond the 16.1 threshold when heated up. Existing FIA regulations have stated it will only be measured at an ambient temperature.
Wolff has previously claimed this breakthrough will make minimal difference, suggesting the advantage may only be as small as two or three horsepower. This comment was rejected by Red Bull star Max Verstappen, who said “you can definitely put a zero behind” the numbers Wolff mentioned.
With the FIA also conducting an e-vote amongst the power unit manufacturers (PUMs) within F1 on whether to implement a new hot-temperature compression ratio test, Wolff maintained their engine has not justified the intense backlash it’s attracted. During the second Bahrain pre-season test, Wolff said: “We said it all along that this looks like a storm in a teacup.
“The whole thing, and numbers were coming up that were… if these numbers had been true, absolutely we would understand why somebody would fight it.
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“But, eventually, it’s not worth the fight. It doesn’t change anything for us, whether we stay like this or whether we change to the new regulations, and that’s been a process. But we also want to be good citizens in the sport because it doesn’t make a big difference.”
Among those who may be welcoming this vote is Verstappen, who remains unconvinced by Wolff’s assessment. He made his viewpoint abundantly clear when presented with the Mercedes boss’s remarks; the difference would only be around two or three horsepower.
“You can definitely put a zero behind that,” Verstappen warned. If the figures are 20 to 30 horsepower, as the Dutchman has suggested, it could be worth approximately three tenths of a second per lap, which would represent a substantial advantage for Mercedes.
He also urged the F1 world to monitor Mercedes’ pace in Australia, where the 2026 F1 season will be kicking off. He said: “I understand what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to shift it to us because we did so many runs on Wednesday.
“I can tell you one thing – just wait until Melbourne and see how much power they have. Just wait until Melbourne to see how hard they’re going to go on the straight.”
When the FIA confirmed the current engines can remain in place until the summer break, they released a statement which said: “It was agreed that initial evidence and feedback remains immature and a premature change [to the regulations] carried the risk of increased instability ahead of the first race. Further reviews will be carried out once more data becomes available.
“There were constructive talks and proposals centred on the race start procedure during the commission meeting. As a result, further evaluation of updates to race systems and on-car management will be undertaken during the current Bahrain test.”
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