Toto Wolff makes remarkable comparison to striking McLaren F1 pace

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has compared McLaren's F1 pace to previous seasons when a singular team dominated the entire field.

The Woking-based squad enjoyed a strong qualifying effort on Saturday as it locked out the front row for the Australian Grand Prix with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with the nearest competitor in Max Verstappen being almost four-tenths behind.

Prior to safety car interferences during the grand prix, the McLaren duo built up a lead of over 16 seconds to Verstappen.

The pace on display from McLaren left Mercedes boss Wolff impressed. 

“It’s big, it's an impressive gap,” Wolff told media including RacingNews365. 

“It's reminiscent to these years where just one and two disappeared into the distance.”

McLaren's main advantage stems from its strong tyre management with its direct rivals unable to mirror the longevity of the Pirelli rubber.

Despite the stunning speed from McLaren, Wolff asserted it is not changing how Mercedes is approaching the rest of the season.

“You must never give up,” he said. “We’ve just done the first place weekend.

“We finished third and fifth [sic]. But we are where we are, and that's why you can never take your foot off the throttle. We have to analyse, what is it we can do in order to manage the tyre better?

“We’re not missing 20 points in downforce. That's not the thing. It's just literally on the mechanical side, what can we do to keep them in the sweet spot?

“It hasn't changed anything in terms of how we prioritise 2026 versus this year just after the first race weekend. You have to keep your cool and continue your trajectory.”