Mercedes Formula 1 chief Toto Wolff has admitted his team lacks the budget to keep pace with rivals' upgrade spree, as Lando Norris claimed back-to-back wins at Zandvoort. The Brackley squad started 2026 strongly but has stalled since May, while McLaren and Ferrari have surged ahead.
Wolff explained that the cost cap allocation has been carefully planned to optimize points across the season, but the team simply cannot fund more frequent developments. "We haven't got the money to put developments on the car," he told Autosport. "We are trying to evenly split that through the season based on our calculations of when we can bring the biggest updates."
The Austrian also pointed to reliability issues with the power unit, which have cost both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell valuable points. "We left between 50 and 100 points on the table due to reliability issues," he added.
Mercedes is not expected to introduce major upgrades until the Bahrain Grand Prix in early October. Wolff hinted that some rivals may be front-loading their spending, which could backfire later. "Someone might have a different strategy in spending more at the beginning and the middle of the year than towards the end," he noted.
As the championship battle tightens, Mercedes' conservative approach is under scrutiny. Will their calculated gambit pay off when it matters most?
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