Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, recently shared his opinion regarding the future regulations of single-seaters for 2026. Announced as being less fast and efficient than the current Formula 1 cars, Toto Wolff remains convinced that engineers will find solutions to counter this issue.
An impact on the new racecars
Starting from the 2026 season, Formula 1 will change its rules regarding engines and chassis. The new regulations will bring new technical challenges for the teams that will have to adapt. On this occasion, Nikolas Tombazis, president of the FIA, explained that the cars could be slightly slower than those of 2024/2025.
To address the issue of performance decline, the new rules on chassis focus on reducing aerodynamic drag through active systems for the front and rear wings. Tombazis highlighted that the new regulations aim to decrease them, as they cause a loss of speed at the end of the straight. « We believe we have solved this issue for the new cars », he added.
Recently, Christian Horner, team principal at Red Bull, had already expressed concerns about how these regulations could impact the race itself. Although these concerns have lessened following the new information provided by the FIA. His rival, Toto Wolff, does not share the same opinion.
« It’s even faster than anything else out there,” he expressed. « and we have to leave things as they are: there is no difference for the viewer. IndyCars seem fast, but they are 20 seconds slower,” he added. Even though the information has been confirmed by the FIA, the Mercedes team manager remains convinced that technical teams will manage to solve this issue. « Formula 1 has always been an incubator of innovation, and I am convinced that what engineers will propose, along with the chassis regulations we still need to adjust, will make cars fast again.”
A risk that is always present
Despite his obvious optimism, Toto Wolff acknowledges that there could have been better regulations, particularly regarding the weight of the car. With 30 kilograms less, the top speeds of the new single-seaters have been significantly reduced. “What we currently have is simply far too slow,” he said. “We sometimes have lap times up to ten seconds slower.”
Wolff emphasized that if the new engines were used with the current chassis, the speed of the cars could significantly decrease. “If you implement the current regulations, the speed would definitely be too low,” he confirmed. This highlights the importance of technological progress for the upcoming seasons. Teams will have to find good points of support in the corners and therefore modify their chassis while respecting the reduced size introduced by the FIA. New conditions that could well advantage the most innovative teams.
