Toto Wolff Hints at Early Shift in Mercedes F1 2025 Development Focus

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff has shared some key insights into the upcoming 2025 Formula 1 season.
With all eyes on the first race in Australia, scheduled for March, teams are deep into the design of their upcoming cars. Wolff believes that the ongoing development of the 2026 cars, which are being crafted alongside those for 2025 due to upcoming rule changes, will soon take precedence for most teams.
The 2025 season will see multiple changes in driver lineups, which will also impact the teams as the new drivers adjust. For instance, Lewis Hamilton is switching from Mercedes to Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz.
At the same time, Sainz is moving from Ferrari to Williams to race alongside Alex Albon. Additionally, the 2025 grid will feature six rookie drivers including, Oliver Bearman, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar, Jack Doohan, and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Looking beyond the coming season, the regulations posed for 2026 will introduce substantive changes to car design.
Teams will be tasked with incorporating lighter car constructions, with a mandated reduction in vehicle weights by 30 kg, while also adjusting to changes in car dimensions like a shorter wheelbase and narrower width.
These modifications aim to boost handling and energy efficiency by cutting downforce and drag significantly. Technological advancements are also on the horizon with the introduction of active aerodynamics, an evolution from the current DRS systems.
Speaking about the year ahead, Wolff explained:
"I guess that most of the team are going to choose a pretty early point of transitioning most of the resource into the new 2026 car.
"But we're talking about a couple of months up and down. I think everything is going to fall into place in the first few races and I'm not sure we're going to see lots of upgrades after the summer."
He continued:
"I'm always energised by what we do. We are so lucky to work in this environment, in this sport, to have the honesty of the stopwatch, and at the same time being at the crossroads between the sport and business, part of a global sport, if not the biggest sport, and growing. So there's a lot of energy."
2025 Formula One Season Schedule
Pre-Season Testing
- Dates: 26-28 Feb
- Location: Bahrain, Sakhir
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 ARAMCO PRE-SEASON TESTING 2025
- Circuit: Pre-Season Testing
Australia
- Dates: 14-16 Mar
- Location: Australia, Melbourne
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Melbourne circuit
China
- Dates: 21-23 Mar
- Location: China, Shanghai
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN CHINESE GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Shanghai circuit
Japan
- Dates: 04-06 Apr
- Location: Japan, Suzuka
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 LENOVO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Suzuka circuit
Bahrain
- Dates: 11-13 Apr
- Location: Bahrain, Sakhir
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Sakhir circuit
Saudi Arabia
- Dates: 18-20 Apr
- Location: Saudi Arabia, Jeddah
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Jeddah circuit
Miami
- Dates: 02-04 May
- Location: Miami, Miami
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Miami circuit
Emilia-Romagna
- Dates: 16-18 May
- Location: Emilia-Romagna, Imola
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 AWS GRAN PREMIO DEL MADE IN ITALY E DELL'EMILIA-ROMAGNA 2025
- Circuit: Imola circuit
Monaco
- Dates: 23-25 May
- Location: Monaco, Monaco
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2025
- Circuit: Monaco circuit
Spain
- Dates: 30 May-01 Jun
- Location: Spain, Barcelona
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 ARAMCO GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2025
- Circuit: Barcelona circuit
Canada
- Dates: 13-15 Jun
- Location: Canada, Montréal
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2025
- Circuit: Montréal circuit
Austria
- Dates: 27-29 Jun
- Location: Austria, Spielberg
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Spielberg circuit
Great Britain
- Dates: 04-06 Jul
- Location: Great Britain, Silverstone
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS BRITISH GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Silverstone circuit
Belgium
- Dates: 25-27 Jul
- Location: Belgium, Spa-Francorchamps
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Spa-Francorchamps circuit
Hungary
- Dates: 01-03 Aug
- Location: Hungary, Budapest
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 LENOVO HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Budapest circuit
Netherlands
- Dates: 29-31 Aug
- Location: Netherlands, Zandvoort
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Zandvoort circuit
Italy
- Dates: 05-07 Sep
- Location: Italy, Monza
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2025
- Circuit: Monza circuit
Azerbaijan
- Dates: 19-21 Sep
- Location: Azerbaijan, Baku
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Baku circuit
Singapore
- Dates: 03-05 Oct
- Location: Singapore, Marina Bay
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Marina Bay circuit
United States
- Dates: 17-19 Oct
- Location: United States, Austin
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Austin circuit
Mexico
- Dates: 24-26 Oct
- Location: Mexico, Mexico City
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO 2025
- Circuit: Mexico City circuit
Brazil
- Dates: 07-09 Nov
- Location: Brazil, São Paulo
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2025
- Circuit: São Paulo circuit
Las Vegas
- Dates: 20-22 Nov
- Location: Las Vegas, Las Vegas
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Las Vegas circuit
Qatar
- Dates: 28-30 Nov
- Location: Qatar, Lusail
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Lusail circuit
Abu Dhabi
- Dates: 05-07 Dec
- Location: Abu Dhabi, Yas Island
- Event Name: FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2025
- Circuit: Yas Island circuit