Toto Wolff urged caution when analyzing the large performance jumps from Formula 1 teams in 2026 after McLaren’s evolution at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Mercedes boss believes that changes to the sport’s balance need to be evaluated carefully.
McLaren carried its first major upgrade since the Miami Grand Prix to the Hungaroring, and the package delivered results: Lando Norris claimed the season’s first pole position and converted the lead into his first Grand Prix victory as the reigning world champion.
In the first half of 2026, teams have shown significant gains after new updates, something Wolff attributes to the immaturity of the current chassis regulations. As each team follows a different schedule to introduce parts, performance can swing quite a bit over the season.
Mercedes, which has not introduced a major package since the Canadian Grand Prix at the end of May, sees a fierce development battle through to the end of the championship. For Wolff, it is essential to avoid quick conclusions about who is or isn’t competitive: “When you ask artificial intelligence who were the favorites for Budapest, the AI will say McLaren,” Wolff told the press. “Because they were the dominant team at Hungaroring in recent years, I think there was a 1-2 last year.”
The executive noted that the Hungarian circuit favors McLaren, but warned about the variations caused by updates. “So, definitely, it is one of the good tracks for them, not very good for us, so we need to be careful not to swing, you know, from ‘suddenly everyone is competitive’ to ‘suddenly one team isn’t competitive anymore’.”
Despite the caution, Wolff acknowledged the rival’s progress and stated that the battle for development will be decisive. “They definitely took a step. They remain in the fight. We haven’t brought an upgrade in some time, and you can see that this will be a development battle going forward.”
