Toto Wolff believes that McLaren’s victory in Hungary should not be interpreted as a lasting upheaval of the hierarchy in Formula 1.
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McLaren’s demonstration at the Hungarian Grand Prix made an impression.
Thanks to a significant package of upgrades, Lando Norris secured his first pole position of the season before converting this performance into his first victory as reigning world champion.
However, Toto Wolff refuses to see this as a definitive change in the hierarchy.
The Mercedes boss reminds that the Hungaroring is historically a circuit very favorable to McLaren.
“If you ask an artificial intelligence who was the favorite in Budapest, it will answer McLaren.”
A naturally favorable circuit
According to Wolff, the performances shown in Hungary must be analyzed in their context.
McLaren has been particularly competitive there for several seasons, unlike Mercedes, which faces more difficulties there.
“They were already dominating here in recent years. I believe they even achieved a one-two last year. So it is a circuit that suits them perfectly, while it suits us much less.”
The Austrian executive thus urges not to change the assessment of the forces present too quickly.
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“We must avoid going from one extreme to the other by suddenly claiming that one team has become unbeatable or, conversely, that another is no longer.”
A permanent development battle
Wolff nevertheless acknowledges that McLaren has indeed taken a step forward thanks to its latest upgrades.
However, he recalls that Mercedes has not introduced a real package of upgrades since the Canadian Grand Prix, held at the end of May.
“They have clearly progressed and remain fully in the fight.”
This situation illustrates, according to him, the new reality of Formula 1 version 2026.
The hierarchy can still evolve
With a still recent technical regulation, teams continue to make significant performance gains with each major upgrade.
Wolff therefore believes that the fight will mainly be played on each team’s ability to effectively continue developing their car.
“We haven’t brought upgrades for some time and we can clearly see that the rest of the season will primarily be a development battle.”
The Mercedes boss therefore refuses to draw definitive conclusions after McLaren’s success in Hungary. For him, the current gaps remain largely influenced by the characteristics of each circuit and by the development pace specific to each team, suggesting a second half of the season still very open.