Toto Wolff now believes F1 should be “open-minded” about power unit regulation changes, having previously said the idea was “a joke”.

Discussions have taken place in recent weeks over whether or not F1 should revise its power unit regulations for the F1 2026 season, due to concerns over how the new regulations will play out in reality.

Toto Wolff: We want F1 to be a great show

While F1 sticks with a 1.6-litre V6 hybrid model for next season, the formula will change with the ratio of electrification relative to the internal combustion engine being split 50/50, with the MGU-H removed as a means of helping to generate some of that electrical charge.

But the concern is that at tracks with long straights and few braking points, such as Monza or Jeddah, the cars now won’t be able to generate sufficient electricity and may ‘run out of steam’ down long straights.

These concerns are nothing particularly new but, with the power units just a few months away from hitting the track for the first time, discussions have happened in recent weeks to evaluate whether it’s too late to make a change.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem had brought up an idea to revert to naturally aspirated V10s, an engine formula last used 20 years ago – a meritorious idea given the use of sustainable fuels rather than fossil fuels.

But that idea was shot down during a meeting at the Bahrain Grand Prix, with three of the five power unit suppliers being against the idea and only two – Ferrari and RBPT – indicating any interest in exploring the idea further. The return of Honda and the arrival of Audi as power unit manufacturers next year is primarily down to their interest in the regulations as currently defined.

In late April, the idea was evolved to discuss whether tweaking the electrical vs. combustion ratio could be adjusted, with the power units deploying 200kW instead of 350kW in race trim in order to allow the cars to keep their electrical energy for longer, but with less ferocity in deployment.

But, with power unit regulations not falling under the F1 Commission’s remit, a vote amongst the power unit manufacturers would require a ‘supermajority’, in which four of the five manufacturers voted in favour of these changes, in order for a change to be made.

Wolff had labelled the reoccurring topic of tweaking the engine formula as a “joke”, and said that it was “almost as hilarious as reading some of the comments that I see on Twitter on American politics”, but appears to have changed his stance on the idea of change

“Obviously, the closer you come to new regulations, the more people act – all of us – in the interest of the team, that’s their duty,” Wolff told Sky F1.

“Where we’re coming from is we don’t know how it’s going to pan out next year. Are we going to see energy harvesting disasters in Baku or Monza? I don’t know. We hope not.

“We’ll see the final product next year in testing. As a power unit manufacturer, we want this to be a great show. We want to win, but we are also aware that in the sport there needs to be variability and unpredictability.”

The last power unit rules change in 2014 saw Mercedes dominate for several years before Ferrari and, later, Honda, caught up on the offerings out of Brixworth. Paddock whispers suggest Mercedes’ power units for 2026 could again be the standard-setters when they hit the track next season, which could explain why there has been some reluctance to discuss changes to that formula.

But dominance in such a fashion would be unpalatable, as Wolff expressed that changing the goalposts isn’t ideal, but shouldn’t be completely ruled out.

“We enjoyed the years from 2014 onwards, but over a prolonged period of time, that’s certainly not the best for the sport,” he said.

“I try to be very balanced between what is good for Mercedes, which I need to do, and what is the right solution going forward. We need to avoid these swings.

“The FIA proposed this engine. Nobody liked it. The 50 percent electric back in the day was where road cars were going to and it was a reason to attract manufacturers like Audi and Porsche. So, we did that.

“It’s difficult to change the goalposts, especially for the new ones. Honda recommitted, and Audi committed, and including us, they are not keen on changing those goalposts at this stage. But we need to be open-minded if necessary.”

More on the F1 2026 regulations

👉 Explained: Why F1 2026 engine rule changes are being discussed at F1 Commission meeting

👉 Explained: The 2026 engine regulations set to seriously shake up Formula 1

Christian Horner: Electrification tweak ‘definitely worth consideration’

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who is overseeing the building of Red Bull Powertrains’ first power unit for these new regulations, also said it would be worth considering changing the ratio.

“I think the FIA finally had a good look at these regs, and they’re seeing that next year, there could be a huge amount of lift and coasting during the course of a Grand Prix,” he told Sky F1.

“That’s going to drive the drivers mad. The cars are obviously going to have DRS open at all times, so there’s going to be not the overtaking effect that you would see. So they tabled a proposal where we leave all the technical specifications the same, but we would just reduce the battery energy in the race so that you effectively have a Push-to-Pass.

“So I think it has merit – in the bigger picture of Formula 1, I think it’s definitely worth consideration. It doesn’t change the spec. It doesn’t change the maximum power of these engines. It’s just when the deployment is.”

With Audi, Mercedes, and Honda all having shown a lack of interest in a change in the regulations, it could be interpreted that Ferrari and Red Bull are less confident in their power units for next season if seeking revisions to the regulations, but Horner downplayed this concern.

“Sometimes you’ve got to look at the interest of the sport. We all believe that we’ve got good power units for next year,” he said.

“I think what we just want to avoid is we’re going to have lift and coasting in qualifying at some races next year.

“I think to have it to such a degree in the race, particularly at certain circuits, will be particularly bad.

“I think it’s well worth a look at, because, for sure, it’s going to be a factor, and without DRS being available next year, with very low downforce on the straights as we’re trying to recharge these batteries, would it be a bad thing to have a Push-to-Pass?”

Given that these regulations were outlined over two years ago, the fact they are being looked at with more scrutiny at such a late point in the day isn’t ideal, and Horner explained that there had been hope the issues would be figured out as manufacturers carried out their work.

“We had these discussions two years ago, and in fairness to the other manufacturers, they were in agreement that it’s just too much to recover,” he said.

“But we kept going down this route, hoping that there might be a solution. F1 is in a great place at the moment, the racing is great, it’s tight.

“Drivers having to lift and coast halfway down the straight at certain tracks, it’s going to be pretty brutal. Sometimes you’ve got to put aside competitive interest and think, ‘What’s actually best for Formula 1?’”

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