Wolff: The idea of going back to V10 makes F1 look silly.

      The idea of bringing naturally aspirated V10 engines back to Formula 1 was one of the topics that was very vividly discussed in the paddock and in the press at the beginning of the season, and it all started with the suggestion of the president of the FIA.

      Last month, Mohammed bin Sulayem stated literally the following:: "We have to consider a number of ideas, including a return to the high-profile V10, but powered by eco-friendly fuels."

      Of course, such statements are at odds with the declared desire to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and run counter to the policy of reducing costs.

      According to Toto Wolff, Formula 1 will look pretty stupid if it starts changing the plans that have been approved for a long time, the essence of which is that the new generation hybrid power plants that the teams will receive in 2026 should be used over the next five years.

      One of Wolff's quite reasonable arguments, which he cited in an interview with Autosport, is that Formula 1 should be a reliable business partner with whom the world's leading automakers are ready to deal.

      "Formula 1 looks a bit silly when it attracts companies like Audi by promoting the idea of a wonderful hybrid engine powered by environmentally friendly fuels, and then suddenly we say that we actually want to keep these engines for only three years, not five," said the Mercedes team principal. – We have to be solid and reliable partners.

      Our approach should be like this: "There are regulations, the budget is also defined, and your task is to calculate everything with this in mind." And then people will be able to decide whether to join us or not.

      However, even before this regulation comes into force, it is proposed to estimate which engines and power plants we will switch to next time. I just think it makes Formula 1 look a bit inconsistent.

      All of us – the FIA, Formula 1 and the championship teams – have common interests, we want our sport to do well, and for this we need to make long-term plans, and we must all work together to implement them."

      Wolff did not specify which forces are trying to promote the idea of a return to naturally aspirated V10 engines, but clearly hinted that it could be Red Bull, since Milton Keynes allegedly has difficulty creating its own power plant, which is what Red Bull Powertrains is doing.

      "In my opinion, there are people who feel that they may not be as competitive as they would like to be next year," Wolff said. "Remember 2014, because then these same people criticized the regulations on engines, because the power plants of their suppliers were also at first not competitive enough.

      Now they are developing their own engine, and I think they are very afraid that this project of theirs will not be successful. That is why unexpected attempts of some kind of manipulation are being made, and the idea of V10 engines appears.

      We at Mercedes always prefer to have such discussions openly. What should be the engine of the future? V8 or V10? And what should be the hybrid system integrated with it and installed on the car? The course towards using eco-friendly fuels is definitely the right one, but should the engine be atmospheric or equipped with a turbine?

      We are ready to accept any challenge if the decision on such an engine is made within the framework of the correct procedure. So far, we are following the established procedure, so let's discuss with all engine manufacturers which engines we would like to receive after 2030, and based on this, we will need to propose a plan acceptable to Formula 1."