Toto Wolff open to F1 rule changes after Australian GP backlash

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has backed Formula 1 making changes to the 2026 regulations if required, following concerns raised about the new ruleset after the Australian Grand Prix.

The season opener at Albert Park delivered a dramatic Mercedes one-two, with George Russell leading home Kimi Antonelli, but the race exposed significant concerns about the new technical regulations, particularly surrounding battery management and artificial racing dynamics.

Drivers have been vocal about the unpredictable nature of the 2026 cars, with Lando Norris describing the opening race as "way too much" and "chaos," while Esteban Ocon echoed his concerns, labelling the racing "artificial."

Max Verstappen went further, outlining how unenjoyable the race was due to the lift-and-coast requirements for battery regeneration, despite having recovered from 20th on the grid to finish sixth.

The concerns extend beyond racing quality to safety, with Norris warning about dangerous closing speeds when drivers harvest battery energy on straights, creating speed differentials of up to 50 kph between competitors.

Norris also commented that the sport had gone from "the best cars ever" last year where he won the drivers' title, to "probably the worst".

Asked for his opinion on the track action, Wolff told select media including RacingNews365: "I didn't hear any of the drivers speaking particularly positively about the last cars or saying they were the best cars. So we tend to be very nostalgic when looking at past events.

"But clearly, we're all stakeholders in the sport. We need to have a great spectacle, the best cars in the world, the best drivers, and something exciting for the fans. That's why we just need to look at the product.

"One perspective is the view of the drivers, which is an important one. But Stefano [Domenicali] would say that the single metric that matters to him is whether the fans like it.

"That is what we need to look at. And if it needs to be tweaked, if we need to adjust it, I think we have the flexibility in Formula 1 to always take those decisions."