Wolff makes striking admission about Verstappen and Mercedes

14:57, 11 Feb

Updated: 20:52, 11 Feb

byNicole Mulder

Toto Wolff currently sees Red Bull Racing, particularly with Max Verstappen behind the wheel, as the absolute benchmark for the upcoming Formula 1 season.

“The power unit (they) are the benchmark at the moment I would say”

- Toto Wolff

Mercedes was seen by many as the benchmark heading into the 2026 F1 season after a strong shakedown in Barcelona, but Wolff – who has always remained cautious about expressing expectations – sees it differently. According to the Mercedes team principal, the combination of Red Bull, Verstappen and Red Bull Ford is currently simply the strongest.

A group of journalists gathered around Wolff on the terrace of the Mercedes hospitality unit as the final hours of day one were unfolding. When GPblog asked Wolff about Verstappen’s performance on Wednesday and whether he would like to experience a rivalry similar to the one in 2021, the Mercedes team boss could not suppress a smile.

To what extent has Wolff been impressed by what he has seen from Red Bull so far, especially after the first morning session of winter testing in Bahrain? “I was hoping that they were worse than they are, because they've done a very good job," he began.

The car, the power unit, (they) are the benchmark at the moment I would say. And then obviously you have Max in the car, that combination is strong.”

Photo: Racepictures

Wolff sees Verstappen and Red Bull as the benchmark

Whereas Mercedes was often cited as the reference point in the past, Wolff now explicitly points to Red Bull: “At the moment I would say very much. Look at their energy deployment today. I mean, speaking a second a lap, over consecutive runs.”

According to Wolff, the difference isn’t only in qualifying runs, but especially in longer stints: “On a single lap we've seen it before, but now we've seen it on ten consecutive laps with the same kind of straight-line deployment. I would say that, especially today on the first official day of testing — which always comes with that caveat — they've set the benchmark today.”

Asked whether Mercedes cannot match Red Bull’s level in terms of energy deployment, a clear answer follows: “Today, no” he says resolutely. Wolff had earlier admitted that his team also takes cues from Red Bull, just as all other F1 teams are doing at the moment.