Toto Wolff seen having a ‘heated’ conversation with Laurent Mekies in Bahrain amid engine dispute

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The rivalry between Mercedes and Red Bull was understood to have been squashed upon Laurent Mekies’ arrival at Milton Keynes, but recent developments within F1’s compression ratio dispute have reignited the former foes.

Much of the discussion during the lead-up to the 2026 F1 season has been about the new era of regulations that the sport is entering.

The biggest talking point, though, has been regarding the legality of Mercedes’ power unit.

Ahead of the start of the new rules cycle, it emerged that the German constructor had found a way to increase the compression ratio of their pistons when it’s out on track, which led Ferrari to bring the matter to the FIA’s attention.

The FIA cleared Mercedes’ 2026 F1 engine ahead of testing, but the sport’s governing body has since proposed changes to F1’s 2026 engine regulations to test the Silver Arrows’ new power unit in hot conditions.

• READ MORE: Why Max Verstappen is privately ‘pleased’ with Red Bull’s 2026 F1 car despite Mercedes advantage

Toto Wolff was seen having a ‘heated’ conversation with Laurent Mekies in Bahrain F1 paddock

In a recent episode of the Nailing the Apex podcast, host Tim Hauraney spoke about a ‘heated’ interaction he witnessed between Toto Wolff and Laurent Mekies inside the Bahrain paddock during pre-season testing.

Hauraney revealed what he saw after F1 journalist Julianne Cerasoli noted that it was Red Bull who leaked Mercedes’ 2026 engine loophole after being unable to replicate the trick during the development of their own power unit in Milton Keynes.

Hauraney then chimed in with, “So I was in the paddock on Friday, and Toto literally grabbed Laurent Mekies, and they were chatting in the paddock. So I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to watch what happens here because this is interesting.’

“You don’t normally see two team bosses having that conversation out in the middle of the public. But that conversation looked like it was getting heated.

“But I was curious, like, ‘Well, that’s funny.’ Like, Laurent is fairly new to being the team principal of Red Bull Racing. And, obviously, Toto and the compression ratio conversation had been kicking off.

“I was wondering what was going on there and why Toto would be having this type of conversation with Laurent out in the middle of the public like that. I found that quite strange.”

Wolff called for an end to the animosity between Red Bull and Mercedes following the departure of Christian Horner and appointment of Laurent Mekies at the Austrian constructor, but it seems like a new rivalry is on the horizon for the two F1 front-runners.

• READ MORE: Red Bull have the most ‘competitive paranoia’ heading into the 2026 F1 season after testing

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Red Bull also accused Mercedes of making up ‘stories’ about their 2026 F1 engine to lure Max Verstappen away

A new rivalry between Mercedes and Red Bull had been brewing since Max Verstappen was linked with a move away from Milton Keynes last year.

It came at a point in time when Mercedes were rumoured to have developed the benchmark power unit ahead of the regulatory overhaul.

This led Red Bull Powertrains chief Ben Hodgkinson to accuse Mercedes of planting stories about their new engine to lure Verstappen over to Brackley.

If true, the tactic obviously didn’t work. Wolff has been keen on signing the Dutchman since before he made his debut in F1.

With Verstappen now sharing his dismay with the new F1 regulations, time may be running out for Wolff to secure his signature before he calls it a day on his career in the category.