Racing
© Yu Chu Chin
Toto Wolff has questioned how Ferrari can keep rolling out major 2026 upgrades under Formula 1’s cost cap, saying after the Austrian Grand Prix that Mercedes simply does not have the financial room to match the Scuderia’s development pace.
The Mercedes team principal’s frustration centered on Ferrari’s latest package in Spielberg, which included its first ADUO-linked engine update alongside further car changes such as revised front-wing elements, floor or underbody work, and test items. It continued a run of updates that had already featured major packages in Miami and Barcelona.
“We’re a little bit surprised that Ferrari can throw these huge updates at the car in the way they do,” Wolff told media including Crash.net. “In my opinion, they need to be running out of money soon, cost cap money, because we can’t do that. We’re simply lacking the buffer in the cost cap to be able to bring so many parts in the way they do.”
Wolff said Ferrari now stands apart from the other front-running teams in how aggressively it is still developing. “The only ones who are not slowing down are Ferrari,” he said. “You can see we had one big one that we introduced in Montreal. We have small parts that come in between. I think the same for Red Bull and McLaren. It’s just Ferrari seems to be limitless in that way.”
He also pointed to the timing of Ferrari’s engine change as evidence of how far ahead the team had planned. Wolff said Ferrari “were expecting an ADUO and come with a new engine,” adding: “So, they must have started development six months ago.”
At the same time, Wolff drew a clear distinction with Mercedes’ own power-unit situation in Austria. He said the team had introduced fresh engines, but not upgraded ones. “No, they were just new engines and therefore with fewer kilometers on the clock,” he said. “That comes with a bit more punch, but there was no upgrade in them.”
He added that Mercedes has no engine upgrade currently planned. “At the moment there is no upgrade planned, but with the chassis we always bring small improvements here and there.” That fits with Mercedes’ broader approach this season, with its main car upgrade arriving in Montreal and Austria bringing only limited changes, including updates tied to front suspension and battery reliability.
For Wolff, the real significance is what happens later in the year. He believes Ferrari’s current rate of spending should eventually force a slowdown and create an opening for Mercedes. “So, hopefully that’s going to change towards the end of the season when they won’t be able to bring any parts anymore,” he said. “At least, let’s say, the logic would say that and we’re going to come with more.”