Mercedes insists it’s “not loopy” about being handed the tag of early favorites for the 2026 F1 season.
New energy models and aerodynamic laws are anticipated to be launched in F1 subsequent season, which may lead to main modifications to the grid.
Mercedes handed the earlier guidelines cycle in 2014 when the V6 hybrid-era engine was launched, profitable an unprecedented eight consecutive constructors’ championships and 7 drivers’ titles.
F1 paddocks are already naming Mercedes because the staff to beat earlier than the wheels flip for subsequent season.
Mercedes staff principal Toto Wolff instructed the F1 staff: “By no means be too assured.” Past the Grid Podcast When requested how he would react to being named the preseason favourite. “We’re glass-half-empty folks, and it’s by no means half full.
“It begins with the home opponents. McLaren was the higher staff this yr with the Mercedes energy unit, so if the ability unit was higher, I do not suppose I am certified to say that, however we now have to beat Williams, McLaren and Alpine.”
“The truth is, a few of them in all probability spent extra improvement time within the wind tunnel as a result of they did not end very nicely within the constructors’ championship. Perhaps they’ve improvements that we aren’t conscious of, and so forth.”
“So even when Mercedes’ energy unit is the strongest, you may’t take something without any consideration. Plus, rumors like this are at all times harmful as a result of somebody someplace in one other staff, or one other energy unit producer, gas provider, would possibly suppose, ‘We need to put you guys within the favourite position, however we’re coming.’
“That is why we do not get carried away by any gossip that is being talked about in hair salons.”
Can one staff steal one other staff’s march?
Mercedes plans to produce McLaren, Williams and Alpine in 2026
Given the size of the regulatory overview, there are options that one staff may usurp the march of others and revel in a big aggressive benefit.
F1’s 2026 guidelines are written to stop this from taking place, however that does not imply groups cannot discover intelligent loopholes and exploit grey areas.
“It is at all times potential, undoubtedly at all times potential,” mentioned Hywel Thomas, head of Mercedes’ high-performance powertrain division.
“Nonetheless, the set of laws was put collectively to get round that, so there are some constraints that constrain you from doing issues a sure method.
“If it really works, it makes it much less probably that somebody will steal the procession. However it’s not like somebody discovered a loophole or discovered one thing superb that nobody else has.”
Requested how Mercedes felt on the eve of the brand new guidelines cycle, Thomas added: “There hasn’t been a season in December the place we did not suppose, ‘We do not have sufficient energy, we do not have sufficient reliability, we do not have sufficient of all the pieces,’ and we now have three months to repair all that,” he added.
“Maybe this season (2025) was the primary season with the present PU the place I did not really feel that method. However generally, within the final moments, there’s at all times one thing that sticks.”
Mercedes is in a novel place to produce three buyer groups in 2026. McLaren, Williams, Alpine.
Thomas admitted it was nonetheless a “million greenback query” whether or not it could be extra worthwhile to produce 4 groups fairly than only one, as is the case with Honda, which solely provides energy to Aston Martin.
“I feel having a number of groups, as we have proven previously, permits us to get extra knowledge, extra info, extra kilometers,” he defined.
“We have now this many vehicles, we now have 4 instances as many engineers, and all of us sit round and say, ‘We are able to do that higher, we will do that higher.’ It’s very, very useful to have all the pieces coming at you. It doesn’t at all times really feel that method, but it surely undoubtedly does by way of constructing a fantastic product.
“However the flip aspect of that’s we now have to make a number of {hardware} and we now have to make some choices sooner. I do not know if it is actually painful generally to make these choices early, as a result of I feel we would run issues somewhat too near the wind. However that is the flip aspect.”
“I do not know if the fitting spot is one staff, two groups, three groups and even 4 groups. There’s undoubtedly a candy spot someplace in there, and I feel it is in all probability nearer to 4 groups than one staff.”
