TOTO WOLFF SIGNALS MERCEDES INTENT WITH RADICAL NEW 'MEGA' RULE CHANGE

Toto Wolff says Mercedes is open to a radical new set of regulations, potentially with a 1200bhp engine.

© XPBimages

Toto Wolff has signalled that Mercedes is open to the return of V8 engines to F1, as he proposed a 1,200bhp "mega engine."

Over the Miami weekend, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem indicated that F1's next set of engine regulations would herald the return of the naturally aspirated engines for the first time since 2013, with the new cycle set to begin in 2030 or 2031.

F1's current rules had been designed to entice OEMs to enter, with Audi, Honda, General Motors, and Ford all on the grid, either as full works teams, customers, or, in Ford's case, a technical partner to Red Bull Powertrains. 

Such a move would be a drastic shift away from hybrid technology, with Wolff, a long-time supporter of the turbo hybrids open to ditching them, but as long as some form of battery power remained.

"From a Mercedes standpoint, we are open to new engine regulations," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365.

"We love V8s, it only has great memories, and from our perspective, it is a pure Mercedes engine, it revs high, and then, how do we make it?

"How do we give it enough energy from the battery side not to lose connection to the real world, because if we seing 100% combustion, we might be looking ridiculous in 2030 or 2031, so we need to consider how to make it simpler and a mega engine.

"Maybe we can extract 800 horsepower from the ICE, and then we put 400 on top of it in terms of electrical energy. We are absolutely up for it, as long as those discussions happen in a structured way, with people's considerations being taken on board.

"We recognise the financial realities of OEMs these days, we don't have it easy, but if it is well-planned and executed, count Mercedes in to come back with a real racing engine."

Join RacingNews365's Nick Golding and Samuel Coop as they look back on last weekend's Miami Grand Prix! The duo offer their thoughts on F1's rule changes in action and Max Verstappen remaining unhappy despite an exciting race.

- Ian Parkes

THE 2026 RULE CHANGE HIT MIAMI FIRST | HERE'S WHAT'S DIFFERENT THIS WEEKEND

Formula 1 didn’t wait for the off-season to fix its problems. Three races in, the FIA called an emergency meeting, got unanimous agreement from every team, and pushed through four regulation changes that take effect this weekend at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. It’s the first race back after an unplanned five-week break due to the war in Iran, and the first big test of these regulation changes.

Here’s what changed and why it matters this weekend in Miami.

Superclipping Is Getting Reined In

This is the one fans have complained about most. Superclipping is what happens when the car harvests energy to recharge its battery while still at full throttle — meaning the driver has the pedal pinned, but the car slows down anyway. On a straight. For no visible reason. It looked strange on television and felt worse from the cockpit.

The fix: maximum permitted energy recharge per lap drops from 8 MJ to 7 MJ, while peak superclip power increases from 250 kW to 350 kW. Less time recharging, faster when it happens. In practice, drivers should spend roughly two to four seconds per lap in superclip instead of the six to eight we’ve seen through the first three rounds. Not eliminated, but meaningfully reduced.

Corner Deployment Is Now Capped

Credit: F1

The second change addresses something drivers have flagged as genuinely dangerous. When a car activates its electrical boost exiting a corner, the sudden surge in power creates extreme closing speeds on the following straight. The car behind goes from a manageable gap to near-collision territory in a fraction of a second.

The fix: power deployment outside of the main acceleration zones — corner exit to braking point — is now capped at 250 kW, with the boost limited to 150 kW above the current power level at activation. Full 350 kW is still available where it belongs. The dangerous spikes are gone.

Race Starts Have a New Detection System

Starts have been a problem all season. Under 2026 regulations, drivers must rev at high RPM for 10 seconds before lights out to spool the turbo, while simultaneously managing battery reserves from the formation lap. In fact, four-time world champion Max Verstappen has botched every start this year. He’s not alone.

The new start detection system more precisely identifies car movement off the line and tightens the deployment window at the moment the lights go out. It won’t be visible to fans watching at home, but teams will feel it immediately. If it works, the chaos that has reshuffled the order three weekends running should stabilize.

Updated Wet Weather Protocols

The least dramatic change on paper, but potentially the most relevant this weekend at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. New rules and systems govern how power deployment changes in wet conditions. Given Sunday’s forecast of an 88% chance of rain and a 53% chance of thunderstorms, this one could matter more than any of the others.

Under U.S. law, any outdoor event must be halted if lightning is in the area — which means this race could be red-flagged even without standing water on the track. The FIA has a contingency plan ready. The updated wet-weather protocols are part of it. That includes limiting MGU-K deployment under low-grip conditions, such as rain. That means that boost mode is unavailable.

Miami is the test bed. Five weeks of work, four unanimous changes, one race weekend to find out if any of it produces better racing. Watch the first lap carefully — and keep an eye on the sky.

- Scott Gulbransen

FIA PRESIDENT ISSUES STATEMENT BEFORE CRUNCH F1 2026 RULES MEETING

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem speaks out ahead of key F1 rules meeting.

F1 is holding a series of key meetings about the 2026 rules

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has praised the “invaluable input” from Formula 1 drivers ahead of a crunch meeting about potential rule changes.

F1’s key stakeholders, including team principals and chief executives, are meeting with governing body the FIA on Monday with the aim of thrashing out solutions for tweaks to the much-maligned 2026 regulations.

A near 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power has placed greater emphasis on energy management and led to criticism from both drivers and fans during the opening three rounds of the season.

F1 is utilising the enforced five-week break without racing following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix due to the Iran War to discuss possible changes to the rules.

It is hoped that agreement on improvements will be reached during Monday’s latest meeting. Any proposed changes would then be put forward for final approval at a World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) e-vote ahead of the Miami Grand Prix on 3 May.

Ahead of Monday’s key meeting, FIA president Ben Sulayem hailed input from the drivers.

"I am delighted to report that there has been constructive and collaborative discussion between the FIA and the Formula 1 drivers ahead of tomorrow’s CEOs and team principals meeting to discuss potential changes to the 2026 Regulations,” he said in a social media post.

"The drivers have provided invaluable input on adjustments which they feel should be made, particularly in the areas of energy management to ensure safe, fair and competitive racing.

"The FIA has also held a series of meetings over the past few weeks with technical representatives from the teams, power unit manufacturers and FOM to discuss proposed changes. Safety and the best interests of the sport are the main focus of these discussions.

"Following the meeting tomorrow, the final proposals will be put before a FIA WMSC e-vote.”

Speaking to media including Crash.net last week, George Russell revealed the main problem areas drivers hope can be addressed.

"I think the two headline points are flat-out qualifying, so no lift and coast, and then reducing the closing speeds,” the Mercedes driver said.

"The closing speed of the Bearman-Colapinto crash was twofold. One, of course Bearman was on his boost button and giving himself 350kW, so he had an abundance of power in an abnormal part of the track. And, on the flip side, Colapinto used his boost on the main straight the half a lap before, and was low on his battery, so he had a lack of power.

"So that is, at least in my eyes, where these closing speed differences are coming from and I think the FIA are definitely very much aware of that. From the drivers' perspective, just looking to reduce that closing speed in abnormal areas, and especially in non-SM [Straight Mode].

“If there's a straight that isn't an SM mode, that means it's because it's a corner and of course the Bearman crash was in a non-SM part of the track. So I think we're all aligned on those points.”

Russell added: "There's a lot of low-hanging fruit. For example, the minus 350 kilowatts super clip is a no-brainer, and that already in itself is going to avoid a lot of lift-and-coast, having the minus 350 kilowatt super clip.

"And there's other small parts of the regulation that say you can only de-rate the engine at a certain rate. So on a very short straight, there isn't enough time to go from 350 kilowatts to a super clip because the straight is too short.

“Some small changes around these regulations will have a major improvement for the overall driving experience."

- Lewis Larkam

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