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Toto Wolff reportedly carried out a shrewd tactic to stop the engineers at Mercedes from joining rival Ferrari. According to the paddock chatter, the Mercedes boss deliberately spread rumors that Ferrari was significantly behind its rivals in 2026 engine development.
In recent times, numerous reports surfaced that stated that the Prancing Horse, which is usually the frontrunner when it comes to engines, has fallen behind in terms of competition. They were reportedly behind the likes of Mercedes and Honda to an extent.
However, as per a post on X, Toto Wolff deliberately spread rumors in the paddock to stop engineers at his team from joining Fred Vasseur's outfit. It was alleged that the Mercedes boss carried this out to make Ferrari a less attractive destination for them.
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Engineers jumping ship is not new or out of the ordinary in F1, as the Maranello team saw two of its renowned engineers leave the team a few days back. Wolf Zimmermann and Lars Schmidt have reportedly parted ways with Ferrari and will join Audi next season.
F1 is all set to have a new set of regulations in 2026, as teams will have to make new engines. Ferrari, Mercedes, and Honda are said to remain as front-runners while Red Bull Powertrains and Alpine are expected to catch up.
Toto Wolff shared his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari move
Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, let his feelings known about Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari. Wolff, who worked with Hamilton for 12 years, saw him leave the team where he won six of his seven titles and claimed 84 race wins.
"We weren't as competitive as we would have wished," Toto Wolff said on Hamilton's decision to leave Mercedes. "Ferrari looked better. Every racing driver wants to race in Ferrari. He likes the color red anyway. The deal that was on the table was very good. And that's, like I said, these reasons are still valid today.” (via si.com)
Hamilton's decision to leave Mercedes came at a time when Mercedes were the fourth-best team on the grid, whereas Ferrari were as good as McLaren last year. As a result, Hamilton made his choice and joined the Prancing Horse on a multi-year deal.
However, Hamilton's move to Ferrari is yet to be fruitful as the seven-time world champion is struggling with the SF-25. Apart from the Chinese GP Sprint, he does not have much to show in 2025. Currently, he is in P7 in the Drivers' Championship with 117 points after 16 races and three Sprints.
