New power units will be introduced, emphasizing increased battery power and a transition to fully sustainable fuels. Several new teams have already confirmed their entry, positioning Formula 1 to have more factory teams than customer constructors by 2026.
Williams team principal James Vowles recently claimed that Mercedes is executing an “exceptional” job with their F1 2026 power unit, employing a “very clever” strategy of investing earlier and in diverse areas compared to their competitors. The Grove outfit will continue to utilize the Mercedes engine as they transition into the new era, with updated chassis and power unit regulations set to take effect for the F1 2026 campaign.
The last major overhaul of Formula 1’s engine regulations occurred in 2014, when naturally aspirated engines were replaced by V6 turbo-hybrid power units, with Mercedes quickly establishing itself with the most competitive design.
Vowles believes that Mercedes is once again on the right track for this engine regulatory reset, although he anticipates that the gaps between manufacturers will not be as significant this time as they were in 2014.
“I think Mercedes has done an exceptional job, which is why I was very happy to re-sign back up for an extension to it. And I think you’re going to see differences between power units that do not exist today.” Vowles said.
“Today, pretty much all the power units are much from muchness. I think that will change in ’26 and you’ll see a difference between the power units. I just don’t think it’ll be the levels you saw in 2014 where there was such a wide spread between the field.” he added.
James Vowles reckons there will be a marked difference between engine manufacturers in #F1 2026 – and Mercedes might just be a step ahead… pic.twitter.com/8nU699RAT0
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) October 5, 2024
Mercedes operates its High-Performance Powertrains (HPP) department at Brixworth in the United Kingdom, where they have been manufacturing Formula 1 power units since 1994 following their acquisition of Ilmor.
Since returning to the grid in 2010, Mercedes has had its own team powered by its engines, and the turbo hybrid era’s power units demonstrated both speed and reliability, resulting in 40 percent of the grid being Mercedes-powered in the early 2020s before this transition.
Mercedes have also announced their driver pairing for the upcoming seasons amid links with Max Verstappen.
Mercedes’ pursuit of Max Verstappen fade as Silver Arrows focus on Russell & Antonelli
“We’re sitting back,” Wolff said. “I think I’ve expressed it before, and we have a similar view from Max’s side: you’ve got to put faith in your drivers and your team. You need to give it maximum support to make it a success.”
With Verstappen off the table for now, the focus has shifted to Mercedes’ new lineup featuring Antonelli and Russell. The team appears satisfied with their driver pairing.
Read More: Renault Makes Big Decision on F1 Engines From Next Year
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
