“They're going to have to dig deep”: F1 Insider backs Toto Wolff to capitalize on 2026 regulations

Toto Wolff's Mercedes F1 team has been backed by Dan Fallows (former Aston Martin technical director) going into the 2026 season. From next year onwards, the pinnacle of motorsport will enter a new era that will support agile cars under fresh regulations.

The Brackley-based Mercedes outfit has not been in the world championship picture since the end of the 2021 season. During the ongoing ground-effect era, the team has struggled and failed to deliver championship-worthy challengers.

Dan Fallows, who was removed as TD by Aston Martin in 2024, has asserted that Mercedes has suffered in the past few seasons and is thus targeting 2026 to have a major turnaround in the sport. In line with this, via an interaction on the James Allen podcast, he recently added:

"I'm going to back Mercedes. As a team, they've suffered a lot under these regulations. They've probably realized in the last year or two that their best chance now is to get these regulations out of the way, but really focus on 2026."

"They're an absolutely impressive force to be reckoned with. They've kind of stayed out of the conversation over the last couple of years, and it's been more about the drivers and, you know, how Kimi's doing, but I think they see this as a huge opportunity. They're going to have to dig deep, but when they really get going, they're very, very hard to stop."

During the turbo-hybrid era (2014 - 2021), Toto Wolff's Mercedes was at the peak of its powers. The outfit dominated the competition on the race track and, as a result, amassed eight constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles.

F1 pundit feels George Russell is fighting Toto Wolff with his 'own medicine' around 2026 talks

F1 Grand Prix of Canada - Qualifying - Source: Getty

While Dan Fallows views Toto Wolff's Mercedes as a strong team that can prove itself as a potent threat in 2026, Wolff has yet to finalize its driver lineup for next year. Current drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are yet to put pen to paper. Amid this, former Mercedes champion turned pundit Nico Rosberg has come up with a fascinating take.

Rosberg believes that George Russell is giving Toto Wolff a taste of his 'own medicine' around the 2026 contract talks. In line with this, the German recently added the following via Sky Sports F1:

"It is horrible to negotiate with Toto, he just disappears off Planet Earth when you're trying to get better terms, he doesn't even let you talk with him, it is horrible and I suffered a lot. But now George is doing the same to Toto; it is like he is fighting Toto with his own medicine because George is apparently not happy with a couple of terms in his contract."

George Russell has been driving for Mercedes since 2022, and during the ongoing 2025 season, he has performed very well. He is currently in fourth place in the drivers' standings, having amassed a solitary win, six podiums, and 194 points.