Is this the sound of F1 2026’s best engine? Mercedes shares teaser

Mercedes have shared a teaser of how their 2026 F1 power unit sounds.

An audio clip, posted and shared on social media by Mercedes, has offered a first hint of how their 2026 engine will sound.

They are the second engine manufacturer, after Honda, to post such a clip ahead of F1’s rules reset.

Mercedes captioned the clip: “Coming soon.”

Fans are already comparing the sound of Mercedes’ power unit with Honda’s.

“I like this sound, but I think the Honda is better,” one Instagram user wrote.

“The Honda one sounds better tbh”, wrote another.

Another said: “Aston sounds better let’s see how is the performance.”

One user posed the question: “The sound of a championship winning engine?”

Mercedes early favourites?

Mercedes have been tipped as the early favourites for F1’s new cycle of regulations, with many pointing to their dominance of the V6 hybrid era.

The Silver Arrows won eight consecutive world constructors’ championships and seven straight drivers’ titles between 2014-2021.

Mercedes were far less successful in the 2022-2025 ground-effect era, winning just eight times.

However, Mercedes powered customer team McLaren to back-to-back constructors’ world championships in 2024 and 2025.

Mercedes will power more teams than any other in F1 2026.

The German manufacturer already supplies McLaren and Williams, while Alpine will become Mercedes’ latest customer team next season. 

Mercedes finished second in the 2025 constructors' championship.

George Russell secured two victories on his way to fourth place in the drivers' standings, while rookie Kimi Antonelli finished seventh.