2026 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

[SealTheRealDeal]

Not sure that Mercedes headquarters are happy about this by the way.
This is not good marketing

Nah, people love "heels" in sports. Mercedes sold tons of cars during it's domination "despite" sometimes using tricks like oil burning.

[Lasssept]

[Matt2725]

They talk about changing the test, but the testing parameters are written quite clearly in the regulations.

So surely a change in any testing requires a change of the regulations, which this late ahead of the season would be unprecedented. Also it would have to go through the F1 commission and World Motorsport Council, NOT a PU manufacturer vote.

[erudite450]

I just saw another update on Reddit. It seems the FIA is not going to make any change after all. Any changes to the test method will be for 2027.

[zibby43]

I just saw another update on Reddit. It seems the FIA is not going to make any change after all. Any changes to the test method will be for 2027.

That’s not what I’ve heard, although I do believe it’s the most likely outcome.

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/merc ... melbourne/

[Rootsap]

How is the compression ratio worded in the rules? If merc and FIA were in contact during the developement and FIA said it was OK, then merc will be allowed to race with the engine. Just immagine the legal shitstorm they would get themselves into if they change the rules now

[RonMexico]

It certainly reads like Mercedes are feeling the heat. I can't see how teams allow anything similar to 2014-2016 happen again.

[HungarianRacer]

It certainly reads like Mercedes are feeling the heat. I can't see how teams allow anything similar to 2014-2016 happen again.

Mercedes only winning 2014-2016 because of ther PU is such revisionist history... Ferrari was properly competitive from 2015 onward on the PU side (Bernie Ecclestone had an interesting theory on how they improved so much from 2014 to 2015, but I digress...).

The Scuderia team was asked in 2015 before their home GP (Monza) how they feel about their chances against Mercedes given their "engine supremacy", and Arrivabene himself answerd that he "doesn't think there is much difference" between the two manufacturers on the PU side anymore, it is on record, and there were other comments that season also, Günther Steiner was also a character who always tried to dispel that myth every time he was asked about the topic in following seasons, the perception presists, nevertheless...


As for the topic at hand, I think the fact that rivals are pressing down on this so hard now (and that Red Bull is rumoured to have switched sides) is a pretty good indication of what the paddock thinks the pecking order is before the start of the season (and I REALLY DOUBT it's the actual Mercedes PU itself that scared them by registering eyebrow-raisisng longitudinal acceleartion figures on a "shakedown"...)...

[RonMexico]

It certainly reads like Mercedes are feeling the heat. I can't see how teams allow anything similar to 2014-2016 happen again.

Mercedes only winning 2014-2016 because of ther PU is such revisionist history... Ferrari was properly competitive from 2015 onward on the PU side (Bernie Ecclestone had an interesting theory on how they improved so much from 2014 to 2015, but I digress...).

The Scuderia team was asked in 2015 before their home GP (Monza) how they feel about their chances against Mercedes given their "engine supremacy", and Arrivabene himself answerd that he "doesn't think there is much difference" between the two manufacturers on the PU side anymore, it is on record, and there were other comments that season also, Günther Steiner was also a character who always tried to dispel that myth every time he was asked about the topic in following seasons, the perception presists, nevertheless...

They developed a wonderful power unit but it was practically impossible to catch up with the token system. Having a baked in advantage put the other teams on the backfoot for nearly 5 years.

The chassis side of things is separate and they were obviously excellent on that side of things too, undeniably the best for all of the flat floor regulations.

[dialtone]

It certainly reads like Mercedes are feeling the heat. I can't see how teams allow anything similar to 2014-2016 happen again.

Mercedes only winning 2014-2016 because of ther PU is such revisionist history... Ferrari was properly competitive from 2015 onward on the PU side (Bernie Ecclestone had an interesting theory on how they improved so much from 2014 to 2015, but I digress...).

The Scuderia team was asked in 2015 before their home GP (Monza) how they feel about their chances against Mercedes given their "engine supremacy", and Arrivabene himself answerd that he "doesn't think there is much difference" between the two manufacturers on the PU side anymore, it is on record, and there were other comments that season also, Günther Steiner was also a character who always tried to dispel that myth every time he was asked about the topic in following seasons, the perception presists, nevertheless...


As for the topic at hand, I think the fact that rivals are pressing down on this so hard now (and that Red Bull is rumoured to have switched sides) is a pretty good indication of what the paddock thinks the pecking order is before the start of the season (and I REALLY DOUBT it's the actual Mercedes PU itself that scared them by registering eyebrow-raisisng longitudinal acceleartion figures on a "shakedown"...)...

LMAO. Mercedes was tuning down their engines as Paddy Lowe is on record saying.

Arrivabene is probably one of the worst principals in Ferrari history. I know more about cars than he does, and I don’t know much.

Mercedes had an 80bhp advantage until at least 2016 thanks to the token system. In 2017 still they could wipe Ferrari in Spa for example, but clearly was not as big of a difference by then and 2018 was in play.

[venkyhere]

(and I REALLY DOUBT it's the actual Mercedes PU itself that scared them by registering eyebrow-raisisng longitudinal acceleartion figures on a "shakedown"...)...

Bingo. There is not even a conjecture (even without any data) of a technical nature, other than the simplistic "metals expand with heat" (which it will, for all engines on the grid). The only 'info' backing up the rumour is that Toto Wolff is pissed off and doesn't want a 'hot temp test of compression ratio'. Obviously the media will eat into this rumour and make it their 'selling content' , but atleast we in the forum should take all this with a pinch of salt and atleast wait until Q1 in Melbourne before we even 'form an idea' what's going on.

[HungarianRacer]

It certainly reads like Mercedes are feeling the heat. I can't see how teams allow anything similar to 2014-2016 happen again.

Mercedes only winning 2014-2016 because of ther PU is such revisionist history... Ferrari was properly competitive from 2015 onward on the PU side (Bernie Ecclestone had an interesting theory on how they improved so much from 2014 to 2015, but I digress...).

The Scuderia team was asked in 2015 before their home GP (Monza) how they feel about their chances against Mercedes given their "engine supremacy", and Arrivabene himself answerd that he "doesn't think there is much difference" between the two manufacturers on the PU side anymore, it is on record, and there were other comments that season also, Günther Steiner was also a character who always tried to dispel that myth every time he was asked about the topic in following seasons, the perception presists, nevertheless...


As for the topic at hand, I think the fact that rivals are pressing down on this so hard now (and that Red Bull is rumoured to have switched sides) is a pretty good indication of what the paddock thinks the pecking order is before the start of the season (and I REALLY DOUBT it's the actual Mercedes PU itself that scared them by registering eyebrow-raisisng longitudinal acceleartion figures on a "shakedown"...)...

LMAO. Mercedes was tuning down their engines as Paddy Lowe is on record saying.

Arrivabene is probably one of the worst principals in Ferrari history. I know more about cars than he does, and I don’t know much.

Mercedes had an 80bhp advantage until at least 2016 thanks to the token system. In 2017 still they could wipe Ferrari in Spa for example, but clearly was not as big of a difference by then and 2018 was in play.

80bhp? Are you sure?... I heard rumours of 110...

You know more about cars (and presumably, the stance of their teams on issues of the time) than Maurizio and Günther, sure... But if Mercedes turned their engines down, at least that is an admission that THEY WEREN'T winning because of PU supremacy after all, no?

[dialtone]

Mercedes only winning 2014-2016 because of ther PU is such revisionist history... Ferrari was properly competitive from 2015 onward on the PU side (Bernie Ecclestone had an interesting theory on how they improved so much from 2014 to 2015, but I digress...).

The Scuderia team was asked in 2015 before their home GP (Monza) how they feel about their chances against Mercedes given their "engine supremacy", and Arrivabene himself answerd that he "doesn't think there is much difference" between the two manufacturers on the PU side anymore, it is on record, and there were other comments that season also, Günther Steiner was also a character who always tried to dispel that myth every time he was asked about the topic in following seasons, the perception presists, nevertheless...


As for the topic at hand, I think the fact that rivals are pressing down on this so hard now (and that Red Bull is rumoured to have switched sides) is a pretty good indication of what the paddock thinks the pecking order is before the start of the season (and I REALLY DOUBT it's the actual Mercedes PU itself that scared them by registering eyebrow-raisisng longitudinal acceleartion figures on a "shakedown"...)...

LMAO. Mercedes was tuning down their engines as Paddy Lowe is on record saying.

Arrivabene is probably one of the worst principals in Ferrari history. I know more about cars than he does, and I don’t know much.

Mercedes had an 80bhp advantage until at least 2016 thanks to the token system. In 2017 still they could wipe Ferrari in Spa for example, but clearly was not as big of a difference by then and 2018 was in play.

80bhp? Are you sure?... I heard rumours of 110...

You know more about cars (and presumably, the stance of their teams on issues of the time) than Maurizio and Günther, sure... But if Mercedes turned their engines down, at least that is an admission that THEY WEREN'T winning because of PU supremacy after all, no?

I know this is the Mercedes thread but please have some respect for people’s intelligence.

Mercedes built a good car, but that’s not enough to be far in the distance ahead after 10 laps post SC restart. I’m not going to discuss further here but if you don’t think Mercedes engine was far superior and how they were winning then we don’t have much to discuss anyway.

[dren]

It was clearly evident they had a large power advantage. That then allowed them to also run more wing than others. Chassis was good, but not the best.

[Badger]

It was nothing like 80 hp by 2016.