Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has blasted fellow Formula 1 manufacturers for their suspicions regarding the power unit loophole furore, telling them: “Get your s**t together.”
The German marque, along with the Red Bull-Ford engine alliance, is entering the new F1 season under a cloud, seemingly created by the remaining engine manufacturers.
This has come from its interpretation of the rulebook, stating that the compression ratios of the new 50-50 hybrid power units must be 16:1 in ambient temperatures.
Whilst other temperatures are not addressed, both Mercedes and Red Bull have opted to play into the grey area of having higher compression ratios when the temperature is higher.
Red Bull have already stood firm on the issue at their launch last month, and Wolff, speaking ahead of the launch of the Brackley-based squad’s 2026 season, was equally clear, telling media including Motorsport Week that the power unit is “is legal,” and “corresponds to how the regulations are written.”
The Austrian added: “I just don’t understand why some teams concentrate more on the others and keep arguing a case that is very clear and transparent.
“Communication with the FIA was very positive all along. It’s not only on compression ratio but on other things too.
“And specifically in that area, it’s very clear what the regulation say, it’s very clear what the standard procedures are on any motors, or even outside of F1.”
Toto Wolff: F1 rivals ‘maybe want to find excuses’ with Mercedes projected as favourites
Early projections of just how much Mercedes and Red Bulls’ powertrains could stand to benefit from the clever hack recorded a potential three to four tenths of a second per-lap advantage at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, the venue for Round 1 of the championship.
The issue led to a meeting between the rival OEMs – Audi, Ferrari and Honda – and the FIA to seek clarity on the situation, but the threat of a post-race protest in Austalia lingers, especially if both engines power their respective cars to better results.
Wolff sent a firm message to Mercedes’ rivals on the subject, telling them: “So just get your shit together.
“They are just doing secret meetings and sending secret letters and keep trying to invent ways of testing that just don’t exist.
“I can just say at least from us here we are trying to minimise distractions. Minimising distractions is looking more at us than everybody else when it’s pretty clear what the regulations say and also pretty clear what the FIA has said to us.
“We’re all different. Maybe you want to find you want to find excuses before you’ve even started when things are not good.
“Everybody needs to do it at the best of their ability. But that is not how we would do things, especially when you’ve been told enough times that it’s fine.
“If somebody wants to entertain themselves by distraction, then everybody’s free to do this.”
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