Toto Wolff gives his preliminary verdict on the F1 2026 rules and highlights areas for improvement

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said the proposed 2026 F1 chassis rules are “simply not good enough at this stage” after the FIA ​​unveiled them at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The 2026 F1 season will mark a new era for F1, with radical changes to engine and chassis regulations that will revolutionize the sport.

Toto Wolff admits the rules for F1 2026 cars could be improved

The engine changes will result in a 50-50 power output between the combustion engine and the power unit’s electric auxiliaries, with the F1 also switching to 100% renewable fuel.

F1 is also expected to incorporate active aerodynamics – effectively moving front and rear wings – and the FIA’s 2026 goal is to produce a more “agile” car with a target weight reduction of 30 kilograms.

The announcement of the new rules was met with a lukewarm reaction in Montreal, with many celebrities questioning the feasibility of achieving a 30kg weight loss and suggesting the new rules were too complicated.

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Mercedes was widely tipped to take advantage of F1 2026 rules after entering a period of dominance – resulting in a record eight consecutive constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ championships shared between Lewis Hamilton (six) and Nico Rosberg (one) – following the introduction of the hybrid era V6 in 2014

Wolff stated that he was satisfied with the engine regulations, but admitted that the chassis regulations needed more work.

“The regulations were set on the power unit side, I think that’s quite clear,” he told reporters.

“Regarding the chassis, the FIA ​​and the teams agree that we need to optimize the regulations because at this stage the cost performance is not good enough.

“That said, I’m confident we can achieve it.”

Wolff’s comments come after McLaren team principal Andrea Stella highlighted chassis rules as a weakness of the F1 2026 rules package, which sees cars too fast in the straights and not fast enough in the corners.

He said: “Regarding McLaren, we are in agreement and support at a high level the intentions and objectives set out in the (FIA) press release.

“However, if we look at the regulations in the circulated draft, they are still far from achieving these pleasant goals and objectives.

“It is therefore time for the FIA, F1 and the teams to work together, listen to each other and contribute to a solution that allows the sport to achieve these goals.

“I think that if we achieve these goals, we will have Formula 1 in good shape, but we need to be sure that when we implement it, we actually deliver a product that meets these goals and objectives.

“I would say that at the moment the cars are as they are in the draft regulations – and we have to say draft because, as we say, there is a lot of work to do – the cars are not fast enough in the corners and too fast in the straights, so the balance needs to be rebalanced these two aspects.

“I think the main loopholes are in Article 3, which deals with the aerodynamic regulations. And the second (concern) is that I still think that the way the power units are planned to be used needs to be adjusted.

“We can still achieve a 50-50 concept (split between ICE and electric), which is a cool concept, but it can be achieved in a way that doesn’t put too many demands on the chassis side, which is then difficult to come across.

“So I think from a power unit point of view and also from a chassis point of view, it’s time for all parties to understand that they have to contribute to the success of this sport.”

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