Wolff in talks over small Mercedes stake sale; Racing Bulls respond to social media video – round-up
Toto Wolff has been in the F1 news headlines, over a potential sale of a small portion of his stake in Mercedes' F1 operation.
Another day has passed, and it has been another busy one in the world of F1 news, with lots to share with you on this fine Wednesday.
With Audi having revealed its F1 2026 concept car on Wednesday evening, here is a selection of the rest of the best F1 news headlines from the day.
F1 news: Toto Wolff in talks over small Mercedes stake sale
Toto Wolff is understood to be in advanced discussions to sell a small stake in his 33 percent ownership share of the Mercedes F1 team.
Prominent business publication Sportico reported on Monday that Wolff is in advanced discussions to sell a small stake of his ownership in Mercedes, a report that sources close to the situation have indicated to PlanetF1.com is accurate.
It’s understood that the discussions are with an eye to Wolff selling a small stake in the holding company, which houses his ownership stake in Mercedes, rather than in the team itself but would leave the purchaser with the equivalent of a ‘mid-single-digit’ percentage slice of the F1 operation.
When approached for comment about the speculation, a Mercedes spokesperson clarified to PlanetF1.com that, “We will be making no comment on this.
“The governance of the team will remain unchanged, and all three partners (Mercedes-Benz, Toto, and INEOS) are fully committed to the ongoing success of Mercedes-Benz in Formula One.”
Read more: Toto Wolff set to sell Mercedes ownership slice in $300 million deal
Williams confirms FP1 change and Young Driver Test participant
Luke Browning will be taking on his third FP1 session of the season for Williams, taking over Alex Albon’s car in Abu Dhabi before taking the wheel of the FW47 for the post-season Young Driver Test once the weekend finishes.
“It’s going to be an unforgettable weekend in Abu Dhabi fighting for the Formula 2 title while getting back behind the wheel of the FW47, and it’s a challenge I’m going to relish,” Browning said.
“Thank you to everyone at the Driver Academy and Williams for the trust once again.”
Read more: Williams makes Abu Dhabi FP1 change and Young Driver Test announcement
Racing Bulls respond to Brazil podium video
Racing Bulls has posted a statement clarifying an internal matter has been handled, after a video circulating on social media appeared to show a team member performing a thumbs-down gesture while Lando Norris was handed the winner’s trophy at Interlagos, which had been circulated over the weekend.
“We’re aware of the video from the weekend’s podium,” Racing Bulls posted on X on Wednesday morning.
“It doesn’t reflect our team’s values or the spirit of VCARB.
“The matter has been handled internally. We believe in celebrating great racing and showing respect to every driver, team, and fan both on and off the track.”
Read more: Racing Bulls issues statement as Brazilian GP podium video circulates
Red Bull issues 2026 engine update
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies spoke of the “crazy” challenge facing Red Bull as it prepares to get its 2026 engine, made in collaboration with Ford, onto the grid in 2026.
He confirmed the engine is very much in development, and with a matter of months until it hits the track, it’s all systems go at Red Bull’s new Powertrains division.
“At first, symbolically, it’s huge, because there is no crazier challenge than Oracle Red Bull Racing with Ford deciding to do its own engine,” Mekies told Red Bull’s in-house Talking Bull podcast.
“It’s been on the dyno for a while now, and it’s only a few months to go, so we are actually in the peak stress moment to make sure we can actually make one and get one to the racetrack.”
Read more: Red Bull gives major Ford engine status update ahead of F1 2026 collaboration
Lawson ‘a bit like Max Verstappen’ in ‘boldness’
Former F1 driver Christijan Albers spoke of his admiration of Liam Lawson’s on-track attitude, believing it resembles Max Verstappen in certain ways.
Lawson raced to seventh place at Interlagos on Sunday, making an unlikely one-stop strategy pay dividends by running for 52 laps on the same set of tyres.
“He has a certain attitude that is a bit like Max,” Albers told De Telegraaf’s F1 podcast.
“He is not afraid, he really doesn’t care about anything. I mean, if something happens on the track, his involvement is usually 80 per cent.
“But, I think it’s nice to see that, for example, he falls into that category of boldness of Verstappen.”
Read more: Red Bull hopeful lauded with ‘boldness of Verstappen’, but will it change his fate?