George Russell takes a cheeky dig at Lewis Hamilton's team as he talks about Mercedes power unit prospects in 2026: "Ok, maybe expect for 2019"

George Russell has taken a cheeky dig at Lewis Hamilton's team, Ferrari, as he talked about Mercedes' prospects in terms of power unit proficiency in 2026. The German team has been a benchmark in the sport when it comes to building engines/power units for decades now.

The entire Turbo hybrid era dominance was triggered primarily because Mercedes was able to build the best-in-class power unit. So much so that the team's strong power unit even helped teams like Williams and Force India to jump up the grid.

The German team has been the best when it comes to building power units, and it did so not only with the turbo hybrids that were introduced in 2014 but even before that, when F1 had naturally aspirated V8 engines.

Ahead of the F1 Dutch GP, George Russell was being questioned about his confidence in the team building a strong power unit, and the driver pointed to the team's impeccable record in the last decade.

The driver also took a cheeky dig at Lewis Hamilton's team, Ferrari, when he hinted at the controversial engine in 2019 that led to a mysterious FIA intervention and settlement. He told Motorsport,

“I'm definitely very confident in the power unit side. I think, on average, over these last 10 years or probably even longer, I can't remember when Mercedes didn't have the best power unit in F1. Okay, maybe except for 2019, but obviously there were some other reasons for that!”

He added,

"But even before the regulation change, even in the V8 era, I think the Mercedes engine was probably the most competitive one of the field as well. So, I’m definitely very confident in the organisation in Brixworth.”

Just a strong PU for Mercedes doesn't guarantee success: George Russell

George Russell was, however, cautious when talking about the power unit competence, as he reminded that the works team was not the only one that had the Mercedes PU. The team dominating F1 right now, McLaren, also has the same one, and so do Alpine and Williams. He said,

“Of course, for us as Mercedes F1, we recognise that McLaren will have that same engine, Alpine will be having that engine, and even Williams are looking stronger this year. So, just because we're confident that we'll have a strong power unit and good fuel with Petronas, that doesn’t mean we’re the team to beat.”

George Russell himself doesn't have clarity on where his future is going to be. The Mercedes driver's contract extension has been in stalemate, as the two parties have yet to reach a decision.

Whether Russell gets a multi-year contract or a one-year extension is something that's going to be very interesting.