Toto Wolff thinks that the number of fans who disapprove of the new Formula 1 rules is actually not that bad. The regulations for the 2026 season have already received considerable criticism from multiple angles, including from Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. According to the Austrian team principal, however, the majority of spectators, ‘ninety percent’, are happy with the new way of racing in 2026: ‘Not everyone complains’, according to Wolff.
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Mercedes has started the new season well with two Grand Prix victories and a sprint win in China. The Silver Arrows are thus the team to beat at the moment, although team principal Toto Wolff warned that not everything is running smoothly at his team either. “We were lucky that none of the problems we encountered seriously jeopardized our results”, Wolff even said after the first two race weekends.
Mercedes thus appears to have done their homework best for the new Formula 1 regulations, which have received considerable criticism from multiple angles. Yet Toto Wolff says that ‘ninety percent’ of the fans like the new rules. “Not everyone complains, but some drivers are struggling with the complex electronic system”, the Austrian told OE24. “However, the most important target group is the fans, and more than ninety percent of them think we now have entertaining races: entertaining and exciting.”
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Wolff not afraid of boring Formula 1
According to Wolff, F1 is therefore heading in the right direction, although it still needs to find the right balance. “In sport you always have to keep developing. You have to respect both sides: the opinions of the traditionalists who want the sport to remain as it was, and those of the new fans who say: ‘We actually think it’s fine the way it is now under the new rules, and that’s how it should stay.’ We need to assess what is best for F1 and its fans. At the moment we see a clear direction.”
Regarding a possible boring dominance of his own team Mercedes this year, Wolff is also clear: “I’m not afraid of that. Ferrari also has good pace. McLaren will also be in the mix, and others will also learn more quickly about engine management.”
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