Toto Wolff views the upcoming regulatory changes as an intriguing challenge for his team. Rumor has it that Mercedes is working on building a powerful engine for the 2026 season. Given that customer team and current constructors’ champion McLaren will also be using this same power unit, Wolff believes that Mercedes won’t get anywhere with ‘just a good engine’.
Mercedes dominated the Formula 1 grid between 2014 and 2020, securing multiple world titles. The ‘secret’ behind the success of the German racing team was, among other things, the powerful engine consistently used in the Mercedes cars. Rumors are circulating that the German team is building a strong engine for 2026, but according to team boss Toto Wolff, that won’t be enough to compete at the front of the field again.
‘Nowhere to Hide’
This is mainly because customer team McLaren will also be using the engine. The British team unexpectedly won the constructors’ championship in 2024. Therefore, just building the best engine won’t be enough for Mercedes. “Then we have to beat them (McLaren) on the chassis. We have nowhere to hide,” Wolff tells Auto, Motor und Sport.
“I’m not losing sleep over it,” the team boss further comments on the impending regulatory changes. “It’s a super interesting challenge. You have to do your job as well as possible in all areas. We won’t get anywhere with just a good engine.”
