Mercedes F1 Team Principal Toto Wolff has expressed surprise at Ferrari’s relentless development rate, questioning how the Scuderia continues to introduce major upgrades while operating under Formula 1’s cost cap.
Speaking after the F1 Austrian Grand Prix, Wolff confirmed that Mercedes’ fresh power units did not include a performance upgrade and revealed that the team currently has no plans to introduce one. He also suggested Ferrari may have spent heavily early in the season, which could force it to slow its development push later in the campaign.
Mercedes fitted fresh engines without performance upgrades
At least two power-unit manufacturers introduced performance-related developments in Austria, prompting questions over whether Mercedes had also upgraded its engines.
However, Wolff confirmed that the team had simply fitted new power units. He explained that their lower mileage offered a small benefit but insisted Mercedes had not introduced any new performance components.
“No, they were just new power units. And with that comes less mileage, comes a little bit more spiciness. But there was no upgrade in it.
“And at the moment, there’s no upgrade planned. And on the chassis, we’re always bringing small enhancements here and there. Because simply, we’re a little bit surprised that Ferrari can throw these huge updates at the car in the way they do.”
“And in my opinion, they need to be running out of money soon, cost-cap money, because we can’t do that. We’re simply lacking the buffer and cost cap to be able to bring so many parts in the way they do. So hopefully, that’s going to change towards the end of the season when they won’t be able to bring any parts anymore.
“At least, let’s say the logic would say that, and we’re going to come with more.”
Wolff believes Ferrari has greater freedom to introduce upgrades than Mercedes, although both teams must operate under the same cost cap regulations. Mercedes has continued to introduce smaller chassis developments after bringing a larger upgrade package to Montreal. Wolff expects the team to deliver further improvements later in the campaign as its rivals begin to reduce their own development programmes.
Wolff says Ferrari F1 upgrades appear ‘limitless’ under cost cap
Teams must carefully manage their spending throughout the season under Formula 1’s cost cap regulations, particularly when deciding how many upgrades to introduce and when to bring them.
Wolff believes Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull F1 squad have followed similar development schedules, combining occasional major packages with smaller updates between races.
Ferrari, however, has continued to introduce significant changes, leaving Wolff surprised by the scale and frequency of its development programme.
“The only ones who are not slowing down is Ferrari. I mean, between McLaren, Red Bull, and ourselves, you can see we had one big one that we introduced in Montreal. We have small parts that come in between.
“I think the same for Red Bull and McLaren. It’s just Ferrari seems to be limitless in that way. And then on top, they were expecting an ADUO amd come with a new engine already, so they must have started developing that six months ago.
“Same rules for everyone, hopefully.”
Wolff expects Ferrari’s rate of development to slow towards the end of the season if the team has already used a significant portion of its cost cap allowance. Mercedes, meanwhile, plans to continue adding smaller updates before increasing its development push later in the year.
