Wolff disagrees with Verstappen: Mercedes sees no need for major changes

When the Mercedes team principal is asked by GPblog whether he agrees with the criticism from F1 drivers or, given his own team’s current position, would prefer to avoid major changes, Wolff mainly points to the joint talks held in recent weeks: “I must really say that the discussions that have been taking place between the group of drivers, the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams have been constructive. We all share the same objectives, is how can we improve the product, modernize the racing, and what can improve in terms of safety.”

Wolff agrees that some changes are necessary, but he adds an important caveat: “We need to act with a scalpel, not with a baseball bat,” says the Mercedes boss.

By that, Wolff is referring to smaller, targeted adjustments rather than sweeping changes: “I think we're coming to good solutions,” he continues.

He points to previous seasons in which, in his view, changes were made too quickly and too drastically: “We need to learn from the past where sometimes decisions were made in an erratic way and then we overshot and realized it wasn't good.”

Wolff’s words align with what was actually decided later in the day. The FIA and F1 teams agreed on multiple adjustments to the 2026 regulations, some of which will be implemented as early as the Miami Grand Prix.

In qualifying, energy management will be adjusted so that drivers can run flat out more often again, including through a reduction in maximum energy storage and a tweak to the superclip system. In the race, the focus is on limiting large speed differentials, with measures such as a cap on the use of extra power and revised deployment of the MGU-K.

According to Wolff, it’s important to maintain that balance: “We are custodians of this sport. In that respect, I am definitely optimistic that we're going to improve the racing whilst protecting what's really good.”

He emphasizes that it’s not just about speed, but also about the spectacle and safety. When asked whether there’s a risk that these adjustments won’t go far enough, Wolff stands by his position: “If you have aligned objectives and you define those objectives at the beginning, and that is how can we work on making qualifying more spectacular, enjoyable for the drivers, how can we tackle safety objectives and at the same time protect what's really good within the racing, the overtaking. That's why those steps look like they are in the right direction.”

Still, he does not rule out revisiting the rules in the future: “We should not overshoot, nor undershooting, but if you come to the conclusion further down the line that we need to maybe redefine the objectives, then so be it. At the moment, I think that's carved out in a pretty clear way and that's good.”