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Mercedes is reported to be building a competitive power unit under the 2026 F1 regulations. James Vowles has revealed that he extended Williams' contract with Mercedes as engine customers because of its commitment and "exceptional" approach.
The 2026 F1 regulations will see major changes in the power units. The engine suppliers on the current grid have an important job of making the most out of the regulations, and Mercedes is seemingly doing well on that note.
Williams Racing will continue to race with Mercedes power units. Team principal James Vowles, formerly a part of the Brackley-based crew, hinted that the team is developing a powerful engine.
"I think Mercedes have done an exceptional job, which is why I was very happy to re-sign back up for an extension to it," Vowles said on the Beyond the Grid podcast (via Planet F1). "And I think you’re going to see differences between power units that do not exist today."
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Other than Mercedes, three other teams (McLaren, Aston Martin, and Williams) use its engines. A strongly developed power unit would be beneficial to all of them. Especially with Aston Martin and McLaren, keeping in mind their current pace and plans for the future. The latter is currently leading the championship and the former has signed Adrian Newey to work on its 2026 car.
James Vowles not expecting engine domination despite Mercedes' strong development
The 2014 F1 season witnessed major changes in the engine regulations with the use of the turbo-charged 1.6-litre V6 engine. The German brand was able to develop an engine so powerful that it left other teams on the grid far behind. Mercedes went on to dominate till the 2021 F1 season.
However, despite his hopes for its "clever" and "exceptional" engine development for the 2026 season, James Vowles feels that such won't be the case with the new regulations. While he mentioned that a difference in the engine power would be visible, teams would not dominate based solely on the PUs.
"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."
2026 will still see the 1.6-litre V6 engines, however, the power delivery and fuel will be changed significantly. F1 will be using 100% sustainable fuel and the MGU-H will be banned. Following this, all the energy recovery will be done through the MGU-K. Furthermore, the power breakdown between combustion and hybrid energy will be split equally. So, around 470 horsepower will be delivered from electric components, compared to 160hp under the current regulations.
