Toto Wolff says he supports Mohammed ben Sulayem's bid to throw a lifeline to Fernando Alonso and Honda.

The Madrid weekend got off to a confusing start when the FIA president expressed his regret that the two-time world champion is on the verge of quitting the sport, insisting that he would do whatever he could to prevent it happening.

Revealing that he had spoken to the Spaniard, Ben Sulayem appeared to suggest that he would tweak the rules in order to help him and Honda turn their situation around, a move that would understandably rile their rivals.

With ADUO meant to have been the process by which manufacturers were able to maintain a basic level playing field - even though it actually appears to have seen Honda take a step backwards - Ben Sulayems's comments appeared to suggest that the Japanese manufacturer would be given further assistance.

Exaclty what the FIA president meant has not yet been officially addressed, however Toto Wolff supports Honda being given a helping hand.

"I think the ADUO in that case was designed as a catch-up mechanism, and that formula was unlocked for Honda," said the Austrian.

"They need more," he added. "And I think the conversation that the president had with Alonso is fair enough.

"We want to have all of these top constructors in the sport," he continued. "We want them to be competitive and successful. Rules are built to do the best for the sport, and sometimes maybe there needs an adjustment. So, fair enough conversation."

Alonso himself was giving nothing away at the weekend, merely hinting that he could switch to Aston Martin's WEC programme.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that when Mercedes domination of the original hybrid era came to an end, it was Honda that came to the fore.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by meatball, 21/09/2026 16:44

"How is Honda so epically bad at this? They lag behind all the other engine manufacturers for 2-3 seasons before they finally catch up, just in time for a formula change and then start all over again.

And how has AMR got this so wrong? they have the money, they have the engineering talent, they have the drivers - oops, NO they have one good driver and a nepo-baby-paint-chip-eating-Donkey of a second driver.

AMR needs a re-think. Honda has used its life-line."

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2. Posted by RP, 18/09/2026 16:09

"I agree with Chester. I like Alonzo as a driver ( since I'm 84 it's nice to see an old guy succeed) and the maturity he has shown as he has gotten older Complains very little and goes out and drives. Obviously, still performing at a very high level. Adrian Newey has a track record and came in late on this season's car. Updates are ham strung by the cost cap but the rules apply to everyone. Honda is not new to the business. They won everything for a few years with Red Bull. But, they shouldn't get special treatment. No one should. None are beginners. As it is, I believe the existing rules diminish the sport. Manipulating the rules to "level" the playing field hasn't worked. F1 revenue has gone way up and the sport has gone down. So now Ben wants to govern on the fly, trying to turn the committee's camel back into a horse. Good luck with that."

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3. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 17/09/2026 14:26

"Perhaps he was thinking of bringing the 60/40 split in a year earlier?"

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4. Posted by Burton, 16/09/2026 18:36

"I'd like to think our Dear Outstanding Legendary Terrific president was merely being a crowd pleaser, since he was speaking at Madrid Economic Forum, but you can never be sure these days...
"

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5. Posted by Chester, 16/09/2026 18:08

"Appears to be a lot of conjecture here- and a lot of hurdles to overcome in allowing a single engine builder to close the gap by special exception.

How about letting all future backmarkers overcome their errors? Doing so would create what economists call Moral Hazard- an expectation that risk taking will be bailed out if it fails.

Honda's gap should be addressed using the existing rules, whatever they are. The FIA made this mess and now they can stew in it."

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6. Posted by Superbird70, 16/09/2026 16:49

"No let them go, and let Red Bull supply them power units/engines/motors whatever."

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7. Posted by Wokingchap, 16/09/2026 15:41

"I for one certainly don't agree, i think its absurd. "

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Wolff supports Honda 'rescue' bid

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