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Toto Wolff is convinced Mercedes are in a good place with their power unit for 2026, which could make them a more attractive prospect for Max Verstappen. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda, the Austrian team boss was convinced that the Dutchman will think of a future beyond 2025 where the regulations could work in their favor.
In 2026, the new Formula 1 engine regulations come into effect where manufacturers will hold the key to performance and deciding the pecking order of the sport. Given Mercedes' record in the past with the 2014 regulations, where they won eight titles, Wolff believes that it proves their ability to produce a good engine. While claiming that he was not good at selling, Wolff felt that Verstappen, his father Jos, and manager Raymond Vermeulen would look ahead at the future where Mercedes could prove to be a better prospect.
Speaking of targets for the 2026 engine, Wolff felt that Mercedes have a good trajectory with their developments. Before the 2021 season, as soon as their new regulations were announced, the Silver Arrows squad had diverted its resources to working on their new engine. Heading the power unit suppliers remains their primary target, but with Honda, Audi, and RBPT in the game, it will be difficult to determine who gets the rules right.
Asked by Sportskeeda how he would convince drivers like Max Verstappen or others to join Mercedes given the 2026 regulations gamble, Wolff said:
“I'm really not good at selling, to be honest. It is down to facts, you know, overselling something in order to attract someone or something isn't the right way. I think we're having a development trajectory, we have our ambitious targets that we believe are necessary in order to perform on a strong level. But these are, let's say, facts on the current understanding. But obviously if there's someone from our competitors that develops, you know, a moonshot project, who knows? So yeah, I'm not good at convincing actually, I just say what I think it is.”
Speaking about Max Verstappen considering Mercedes as a future team, he said:
“I don't think that anyone can sell anything to Max, Jos and Raymond, you know. Their combined understanding of motorsport, whether you sell well or not, is not going to change anything. I believe it is a question of how they feel the future, how they feel where the future is best for them, considering a lot of factors. I think we're in a very good position for 2026. We are we are ambitious with the targets we set ourselves for the power unit, for the batteries, for the fuel, and I think if we're able to produce a decent chassis, we're a good value proposition. But who knows.”
Mercedes boss relying on 2014 success to convince prospects for 2026 and beyond
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes that their success with the 2014 regulations makes them confident with their success in 2026 as a successful manufacturer. He felt that given their understanding of the development with their 2026 project at the Mercedes High-Performance powertrains, they are on target to achieve their ambitious goals for the new engine era in the sport.
Ahead for the 2014 season, Niki Lauda and Ross Brawn who were part of setting up Mercedes were convinced of their success, which helped them persuade Lewis Hamilton to leave McLaren and join their team.
Asked how he would calculate their ability to convince drivers to join Mercedes for 2026 and beyond like Brawn and Lauda managed in the past, Wolff said:
“That's what I'm saying. Well, this is the certain degree of confidence that I have in our abilities and resource in HPP. In 2014 we got that right, but there's no guarantee we're going to get it right in '26. But we are giving it the utmost effort and we've set targets that we believe are high enough and ambitious enough to have a very competitive power unit. 2014 was almost a more journey into the unknown because it was such a big change of regulation, but this is a little bit a similar situation.”
While the 2026 engine regulations have more players in the game, it is difficult to predict which manufacturer will prevail. Neither is sure of the other one's gains, making it difficult for prospects like Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen to decide what team to choose for the future. With several driver contracts expiring by the end of 2025, ideally, the engine manufacturers are the primary options. However, both the Spaniard and Dutchman seem to have set their sights on Red Bull who are the current champions. The Ferrari driver spoke to Sportskeeda on Thursday about the 2026 engine success being unpredictable, making it a complicating factor while deciding on a future team.
