Scepticism over Mercedes’ 2026 engine advantage: ‘Rivals won’t get caught out’

1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve is sceptical about the rumours hinting Mercedes will have a dominant engine for the new rules in 2026.

F1 are introducing vastly different technical regulations for next year.

The main changes are that the engines are becoming more electrified with a simpler design.

They will also be run on sustainable fuels, emphasising each team’s supplier more.

Already, there’s been a raft of speculation suggesting Mercedes could be the team to beat.

Mercedes dominated the start of the last change in engine regulations.

It took their rivals over four years to produce an engine close to Mercedes’ level.

And even then, Mercedes’ advantage on the chassis was significant, meaning they weren’t toppled until 2021.

Since 2022, it’s widely accepted that Mercedes, Honda and Ferrari all have similarly performing power units.

Renault have struggled in recent years, with their engine holding Alpine.

Villeneuve doubts Mercedes’ advantage

Villeneuve doubts Mercedes’ advantage will be so significant as he doesn’t see their rivals getting “caught out” this time.

For 2014, Mercedes started work on that project several years before any other team.

Ferrari had a design flaw with their engine in the first year of the rules.

For Red Bull, they were frustrated with Renault because of their lack of investment, leaving them lagging behind Mercedes for several years.

Even if Mercedes have the best engine in 2026, they will face stern competition from McLaren.

“The rumours (about Mercedes’ power unit being the best) are based on what happened at the start of the hybrid era, where Mercedes arrived with a five-year advantage on everyone else,” Villeneuve told Vision4Sport.

“And whenever someone got close, they could just tune it up a bit. They already had the next version waiting in the garage somewhere until someone caught up.

“Now everybody’s thinking, they did it once, it will be the same thing now. I don’t think the manufacturers will get caught out a second time the same way.

“Now everybody understands this kind of power unit. They have a good base. So why would Mercedes suddenly be able to take another leap forward?

“It’s not a new technology. It’s the same that’s kind of re-imagined. It’s not the same prospect. But they live on that.

“They might well have an amazing engine, but there’s no way to know now. It’s just rumours. Nobody knows what’s happening in the design department.”