The Mercedes team principal is enthusiastic. In a month, F1 teams and drivers will definitively get serious about Qualifying in Melbourne, unleashing the potential of the 2026 cars. Esteban Ocon said that in Barcelona in the Qualifying simulations it was necessary to resort to the ‘Lift and coast’ tactic and there is great curiosity in general from a race perspective to see how and to what extent the management of electrical energy by the drivers can make a difference when it comes to overtaking. “In Barcelona while Colapinto was engaged in the long run Russell overtook him with a speed difference of 50-60 km/h – said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff – I like the concept behind the regulation according to which the drivers will have the possibility of managing the engine boost, I am curious to see how it will be optimised. In addition to the fact of having the best cars in the world and the best drivers on the track, this tactical element will be added which will be very simple to understand and which will also add the factor of intelligence in the performance construction. We will see overtaking where we don’t expect it.” “I don’t see any negative aspects for now in F1 2026 – added Wolff – the cars are aesthetically beautiful, neither too small nor too big, we no longer have whales on the track as happened in the past. I have no reason to ‘sell’ the 2026 rules better, from my point of view they have fulfilled all the objectives that had been set with the aim of improving F1”.
