Toto Wolff says Mercedes does not have the budget to match the recent development rate of McLaren and Ferrari. Andrea Stella is not convinced.
Mercedes has not introduced a major upgrade to its car since the Canadian Grand Prix, while McLaren and Ferrari have continued to make gains as the season has progressed. Wolff said Mercedes had deliberately spread its development spending across the season and did not have the money to simply accelerate that plan.
“We haven’t got the money to put developments on the car,” Wolff said after the Dutch Grand Prix. He explained that Mercedes had planned when to introduce its developments based on where they were expected to deliver the greatest benefit.
That does not necessarily mean Mercedes has completely exhausted its development budget. The team is operating under the same $215 million cost cap as its rivals, meaning the issue is how Mercedes has allocated its available spending rather than simply how much money the organisation has.
Stella, however, questioned Wolff’s explanation.
“I would like to believe you, but I actually don’t believe you,” the McLaren team principal said. Stella pointed to additional financial allowances connected to the new power-unit regulations and argued that Mercedes should still have room to bring further developments.
Stella also believes Mercedes has more performance available than its recent results suggest, particularly after seeing what the team is producing in the wind tunnel. He expects Mercedes to bring further upgrades before the end of the season.
There is no public evidence that proves Wolff is wrong. Mercedes’ spending under the cost cap is not fully visible to its competitors, and Wolff’s comments can reasonably be interpreted as saying the team does not have the flexibility to suddenly change its development plan, rather than having no resources left whatsoever.
That distinction is important as McLaren and Ferrari continue to close the gap. Mercedes still leads the championships, but its early-season advantage has been reduced as its rivals have brought more performance to their cars.
For now, Stella’s skepticism remains just that: skepticism, rather than proof that Wolff’s claim is false. The clearest answer may come when Mercedes reveals whether it has another significant upgrade planned for the final part of the season.