Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has blasted rivals over the ongoing questions regarding power unit legality.
Late last year, the story first emerged that the German manufacturer, and potentially Red Bull Powertrains, had found a way to boost the compression ratio of their V6 engine above the regulated 16:1 limit.
This is because the FIA conducts legality checks at ambient temperatures, creating a loophole for engines to exceed the permitted ratio when running hotter on track.
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Just before the Barcelona shakedown, a meeting was held at the FIA to address concerns being led by Audi, Ferrari and Honda.
But Wolff was quick to call them out…
“When it comes to the engine question, I just don’t understand why some teams concentrate more on others and keep arguing a case that is very clear and transparent,” he claimed.
“Communication with the FIA was very positive all along. It’s not only on the compression ratio, but on other things too – and specifically in that area, it’s very clear what the regulation says, very clear what the, let’s say, standard procedures are on any motors, even outside of Formula 1.
“So, just get your s*** together and…you know, doing secret meetings and sending secret letters, keep trying to invent ways of testing that just don’t exist.”
Ready for 2026 💪 pic.twitter.com/eOHKW197n6
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 2, 2026
Mercedes is expected to start the 2026 season as favourites and showed ominous form during their three days of running in Spain.
And the Austrian chief insists there are no concerns about their legality.
“I feel like I can say, at least from us here, we are trying to minimise distractions, and minimising distractions is looking more at us than everybody else when it’s pretty clear what the regs say, and also pretty clear what the FIA has said to us and has said to them so far,” Wolff continued.
“But maybe, we’re all different. Maybe you want to find excuses before you even start, for why things are not good.
“Everybody needs to do it at the best of their ability, but that is really not how is not how we how we would do things, especially not after you’ve been told a few times that that is fine, it’s legal, and it’s what the regulations say.
“Again, if somebody wants to entertain themselves by distraction, then everybody’s free to do this.”
An unlikely ally
Toto has found himself an unlikely ally on the power unit saga, as former Red Bull boss Christian Horner gave his view on Australia’s Today show.
“Formula 1’s about pushing the boundaries. It’s about how you interpret regulations. Always has been and always will be,” he said.
“Teams that are the most conservative are the teams that are never at the front of the grid. You’ve got to be pushing the envelope.
“Of course, it’s all about how you interpret regulations and engineers, some of the brightest engineers on the planet, will be looking at those regulations and thinking, okay, how can I maximise performance?”
