2026 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

[aMessageToCharlie]

Here is another entertaining Toto clip:



IMO Russell needs to come back with a Rosberg 2016 like vengeance or his career is over. Probably is already since he's accepted being the number two and given up on the WDC.

Crazy to think how RUS was the most promising prospect, winning everything in his junior career to then be completely hamstrung by Toto's decisions.

- left out to suffer in the Williams for years and years even after a dominating stand-in performance in the 2020 Merc, missing pole by 0.026 sec and winning the race (if not for the team's mess-ups)
- finally being allowed to come into the Merc cockpit when they lost their dominance, immediately beating their 7x WDC in 2 of their 3 years together
- staying loyal to the team throughout and pushing car development as their lead driver
- stand-out performance in 2025, second only to Verstappen
- yet, Toto holds off on his contract renewal until the very end, clearly looking to replace him with VER and keeping the rookie he just beat 21:3 with more than double the points tally
- 2026 starting with pole and win in Australia, followed by deployment issues and DNFs
- demoted to number 2 and ordered to let his championship rival pass while being 56 points behind with 11 races to go (when Verstappen just last year overcame a 102 point deficit within 9 races)

Brutal.

[SB15]

Here is another entertaining Toto clip:



IMO Russell needs to come back with a Rosberg 2016 like vengeance or his career is over. Probably is already since he's accepted being the number two and given up on the WDC.

Crazy to think how RUS was the most promising prospect, winning everything in his junior career to then be completely hamstrung by Toto's decisions.

- left out to suffer in the Williams for years and years even after a dominating stand-in performance in the 2020 Merc, missing pole by 0.026 sec and winning the race (if not for the team's mess-ups)
- finally being allowed to come into the Merc cockpit when they lost their dominance, immediately beating their 7x WDC in 2 of their 3 years together
- staying loyal to the team throughout and pushing car development as their lead driver
- stand-out performance in 2025, second only to Verstappen
- yet, Toto holds off on his contract renewal until the very end, clearly looking to replace him with VER and keeping the rookie he just beat 21:3 with more than double the points tally
- 2026 starting with pole and win in Australia, followed by deployment issues and DNFs
- demoted to number 2 and ordered to let his championship rival pass while being 56 points behind with 11 races to go (when Verstappen just last year overcame a 102 point deficit within 9 races)

Brutal.

Russell's biggest threat is 100% Lando.

[aMessageToCharlie]

Biggest threat for what?

[erudite450]

Toto said they can't anticipate upgrade because of budget cap, probably it's a matter of material rotation, there's no money to afford changing material at this time. He confirmed upgrade in Malaysia btw.

Yet James Allison said they develop at the rate of half a second every two months.
So they either have a B spec for Malaysia, bringing almost a second going by that logic.
Or it could be Toto is lying that they can't upgrade as well as Ferrari and McLaren.

I think it's more likely they have already shifted their attention to next year's car as they used to do in their previous dominant cycle.

[Jambier]

Toto said they can't anticipate upgrade because of budget cap, probably it's a matter of material rotation, there's no money to afford changing material at this time. He confirmed upgrade in Malaysia btw.

Yet James Allison said they develop at the rate of half a second every two months.
So they either have a B spec for Malaysia, bringing almost a second going by that logic.
Or it could be Toto is lying that they can't upgrade as well as Ferrari and McLaren.

I think it's more likely they have already shifted their attention to next year's car as they used to do in their previous dominant cycle.

This.
They will have a package that allows them to keep fighting for victories, just what is needed not more, and are working flat out on 2027

[CjC]

Pervious dominant cycle was in an unrestricted budget era with no ATR limiting testing……

[basti313]

Pervious dominant cycle was in an unrestricted budget era with no ATR limiting testing……

You are always limited...

I think it does not make any sense for them to put on an update that brings them ahead again by several tenths:
- If they are dominant, rule makers will hunt them. The current shifts of power with McLaren in the track dependent mix and Ferrari playing around is perfect.
- We only have two "twisty" tracks coming up where McLaren will be stronger. Everywhere else I see the straight line advantage still as a heavy benefit. So the performance will shift naturally to their side.
- They can still bring an update if it is needed.

[Lasssept]

[WardenOfTheNorth]

Pervious dominant cycle was in an unrestricted budget era with no ATR limiting testing……

You are always limited...

I think it does not make any sense for them to put on an update that brings them ahead again by several tenths:
- If they are dominant, rule makers will hunt them. The current shifts of power with McLaren in the track dependent mix and Ferrari playing around is perfect.
- We only have two "twisty" tracks coming up where McLaren will be stronger. Everywhere else I see the straight line advantage still as a heavy benefit. So the performance will shift naturally to their side.
- They can still bring an update if it is needed.

You're forgetting that Lando was also fast at Spa, he gets forgotten because of where he started after his grid penalty, but he had the speed to have been in the fight for the lead if he'd started where he qualified.

[WardenOfTheNorth]

Biggest threat for what?

Because, if Lando keeps his momentum up, then Mercedes will have no choice than to prioritise Kimi and protect his lead.

[FW17]

Shows the true state of German car industry.

Drinks companies, phone companies and battery companies make better products.

[KimiRai]

AutoRacer journalist: as of today, there won't be ADUO at Monza for Mercedes

[Sergej]

lol, Donadoni (PJ) himself wrote exactly the opposte just one day ago

The Italian will accept the penalty related to the power unit already in Monza, in order to have the improved unit available as soon as possible

https://autoracer.it/mercedes-focus-sui ... di-novita/

[KimiRai]

lol, Donadoni (PJ) himself wrote exactly the opposte just one day ago

The Italian will accept the penalty related to the power unit already in Monza, in order to have the improved unit available as soon as possible

https://autoracer.it/mercedes-focus-sui ... di-novita/

Yes, he was asked the same question.

[MB_Racer]

Sadly it’s true no upgraded engine nor any major upgrades on the Merc before Malaysia.

Source: officially confirmed by one of the official drivers I talked to