Why Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff is holding off on Le Mans

Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes' Formula 1 team, and CEO Ola Källenius are not keen on entering the 24 Hours of Le Mans race yet. They’re waiting for the event to focus more on pure racing. A rule called "balance of performance" (BOP) is the main issue for them. This rule makes teams tweak their cars’ weight and power to keep the competition even, which Wolff and Källenius feel messes with the race’s outcome.

“We love racing, but we don’t like BOPs,” Wolff said on the Hot Pursuit! podcast. He believes these rules take away from the true spirit of racing. Unlike Formula 1, where a cost cap lets teams compete freely within a budget, Le Mans’ BOP rules feel too restrictive for Mercedes. Wolff thinks a similar cost cap in Le Mans would make it a fairer fight, saying, “Give everyone a budget, and let it be all-out racing.

Then, Le Mans would be on our radar.” Until the rules change, Mercedes won’t join other big names like BMW, Ferrari, and Porsche at Le Mans. Wolff, a racing purist, wants a competition where skill and strategy decide the winner, not artificial tweaks. For now, Mercedes is sticking to Formula 1, where they feel the racing is more genuine.