Toto Wolff’s look into the future of F1, its engines, and George Russell’s contract

The 2025 Formula 1 season may only be two races old, but it has not been short on either on-track storylines or off-track intrigue — with some of those narratives centring around the Mercedes team. Motorsport.com’s Roberto Chinchero sat down with its team principal, Toto Wolff, over the Chinese Grand Prix, to discuss the latest developments within the team, and insight on the series’ V10 political battleground.

Motorsport.com: Toto, how is it possible that we are starting to talk about V10 engines in March 2025, nine months before the start of the new rules with all-new hybrid engines?

Toto Wolff: I think it’s people that have the feeling that they are maybe not as competitive as they would wish for next year. Remember 2014, the same people talked down the engine regulations back in the day because their power unit supplier wasn’t competitive at the beginning. Now they are doing their own engines and I think there is a lot of fear there that it isn’t going that well and that’s why suddenly the manipulation business starts and the V10 comes up as an idea.

But having said that, I think we as Mercedes are always open to having these discussions. What is the engine of the future? Is it a V8, is it a V10, what kind of hybrid system does it have on the car? Sustainable fuel clearly is going forward, is it a naturally aspirated or turbo engine? And any challenge that comes up is fine for us, as long as there is a proper governance on how this engine is being decided upon. That governance is in place today, so let’s stick our heads together with all the engine manufacturers and see what is it we want for the future, what is it we want to have beyond 2030 and then come up with a plan that is good for Formula 1. And as I said, completely open to any solution.

MS: But if the five-year homologation period of the new engine were to be reduced to three years, for just 2026, 2027, and 2028, is that something you could accept?

TW: If there are the right arguments on bringing it forward. We are looking a little bit silly as Formula 1 when we are attracting the likes of Audi and we are pitching a great hybrid engine with sustainable fuels and then suddenly we are saying we actually only want to keep it three years and not five. We need to be a stable and reliable partner that says: ‘These are the regulations, that is the investment budget, you need to calculate for it’. And then people can join or not. But – before regulations have even started – to say let’s look at the next engine and power unit, I just think it makes Formula 1 look a little bit erratic. And that is why we all have the same interest between the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams; we want to sport to be great rather than looking at the success of a single race or season. There needs to be a long-term plan and everybody is pulling on the same side.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

MS: You hear different opinions about the 2026 car in the paddock, some people are scared about how they will run and where they will be able to run at full power.

TW: People will never see any difference, you will see a car out there that is driving fast. We will be having aero solutions that are innovative, there are components where you recharge at the end of the straight, which exists today. Contrary to what people believe, today a Formula 1 car does not accelerate until the end of the straight, but we have derating. We have a speed profile that flattens at the end of the straight, very different to what it was 10 years ago. And I think that is going to be the case in the next years. It is a brand-new engine, but there is a lot of scaremongering over what it will be like. I think the engineering genius in Formula 1 has always provided the right solutions, so I have no doubt it is going to be a spectacular show as always.

MS: Are you happy with the new Concorde agreement?

TW: Yes, I think it is a great success for Formula 1 that there is a Concord now until 2030. All 11 teams signed. I think Cadillac made the case very well in Melbourne to us why they believe they can be adding to the business. So ready start go, 11 teams and we have a commercial framework now and that is really good.

MS: Let’s move on to George Russell’s future. The driver market is closed, only George is a free agent at the moment for 2026, so is that a situation that is going to be resolved soon?

TW: Yes, absolutely. I mean, it is almost an open secret that we have every intention to keep our drivers for the long term. We are not disclosing every discussion that we have with the drivers and that is why this is going in the direction that it should go.

MS: The reason we’re asking is because this speculation around you signing Max Verstappen has never really stopped. But as soon as you sign the contract with George, it will.

George Russell, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

TW: Yes, exactly. But there is more to any contract than just giving a driver the fixed guarantee that he is going to be in the car. There are terms to it that you need to discuss for the best interest of the team and the driver, so it is a structured process.

MS: George seems to be a bit underrated in the paddock.

TW: Not with us. Why is he underrated? I don’t know. He is a top, top driver and we are lucky to have him. The decision to take Kimi on board, we dared to do it because we knew that we have George as a benchmark. The car doesn’t go much faster than George and we know where the car will be with George, and that is the benchmark for Kimi.

MS: And the benchmark for George was Lewis, so you were able to understand how much he was improving.

TW: Exactly.

MS: But George was unlucky because he arrived at the moment the team stopped winning.

TW: Exactly, he expected different. But you can also see George’s performance against Lewis, and today’s performance of Lewis against Charles Leclerc, clearly we are talking about a top driver.

MS: About Kimi, you said you made up your mind about signing him the same day Lewis Hamilton said he was going to Ferrari. And he was a Formula Regional driver at that moment, he didn’t even drive in F2 yet.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

TW: Absolutely. I think I never struggled with being confronted with a situation. ‘This is the fact, what next?’ And when Lewis said he was leaving, it was clear that this was ending. So, with all the respect to the 12 years we had and the friendship and the success that we had, my thinking went immediately into who is next in the car. And there is two schools here, you take a risk with your youngest that is deemed to be capable in Formula 1 or you bank a fast, current driver. So, taking up the young one, you either put him in another team, but any other team like Williams would have demanded at least a couple of years. So, this is what we didn’t want to commit to. And on the other side, every driver that has proven their worth will undoubtedly not be at ease with a one-year contract. That was my thinking in the minutes after Lewis told me.

MS: And how many people were involved in this choice, was it just you?

TW: No, obviously Mercedes was involved in the decision; Ola Kallenius, as the main guy because he knows the business, Marcus [Schaefer], who is our chairman. And then from our side the group was Gwen [Lagrue], James Allison, Bradley [Lord] and myself. As much as I had a firm view, I want that view to always be challenged and it was a really good discussion with the pros and cons.

MS: No second thoughts last year when he was struggling in F2?

TW: No, F3 and F2 are complex. You need to be at the right team at the right time. And we have no doubt about his speed and his personality, his values. We know that he needs time, the trajectory has been very steep. But it feels like it’s the right time in 2025 because of the regulation change next year. We wanted him to have a year under his belt where he is just able to learn and make himself ready for next year.

MS: He told us that you call him Kimi when everything is going well, and Andrea when it isn’t…

TW: Yes. (laughs) I call him Kimi because Kimi is a young man, Andrea is more serious when I am not happy. So, he knows my state of mind very quickly!

MS: Is the new car working as you expected, is it a step up compared to 2024?

TW: It is a more stable platform, it is not like last year where the rear was the weak point and the front the strong, now it goes more hand in hand. But still, we are not happy about the width of the [operating] window, we still want it to be a bit wider. It is still tricky to land it properly, you can go from being the hero in one session to being sixth or seventh the next session. But it is happening to all teams. If you look at Ferrari, Lewis seemed at ease [in China’s sprint], and a week ago it was too difficult. We are going to see that all throughout the year.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

MS: There was some funny speculation over your wife Susie running for president of the FIA. Surely that would have meant you were going to have to retire?

TW: That’s the only possibility to make that happen (grins) – no, that was never on with Susie. We are an entrepreneurial family. She’s all-in on the F1 Academy to make it a success, and not yet [ready] for an ambassadorial, representative role, as much as it’s honourable to be the FIA president. But no, she’s not going to do that.

MS: So, you are continuing. And so is F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. Are you happy with the news that he will stay another five years?

TW: So important. He’s a good guy, he has all the right values, he has a good commercial sense, he’s brilliant with the promoters, and he takes no bullshit. And the stability that he stays with us for the next five years is just really great news. The sport needs stability, the sport needs trajectory, and he’s providing that.

MS: One of Domenicali’s challenges is the calendar, because it looks like we are going to have fewer and fewer races in Europe and the calendar is becoming even more global. We are going to lose Spa for two seasons. Is that a natural development or do we need to keep circuits like Spa?

TW: I think, first of all, we’re in good hands. Stefano comes from Imola. They literally have their apartment opposite the track. So with Stefano, we have someone that very much understands the heritage of the sport, and that we need to go to these places in order to make Formula 1 popular in other regions of the world. Striking that right balance is really the trick. Keep the traditional ones that are spectacular and add new ones, and that mix is important. And Stefano is clearly the best one to judge that.