2026 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

[Seanspeed]

I've tried to check 2025 after test reports and while most saw McLaren as fastest, many didn't think the advantage was significant and Ferrari test was seen as a really good one, best in years. Hamilton had some great quotes.

This would confirm that view, Ferrari uses more in testing. This could also be reason for their fast starts, more power = better starts.

You must be mistaken or something, cuz even Ferrari themselves admitted after testing in 2025 that testing didn't go as they had hoped, the car was problematic and the drivers weren't happy with it. This was just very open knowledge, and there was talk even before the season began about Ferrari having to change their update plans completely to try and solve some fundamental suspension issues(which is exactly what happened).

[Frank73]

I've tried to check 2025 after test reports and while most saw McLaren as fastest, many didn't think the advantage was significant and Ferrari test was seen as a really good one, best in years. Hamilton had some great quotes.

This would confirm that view, Ferrari uses more in testing. This could also be reason for their fast starts, more power = better starts.

So why Hamilton great quotes? Do you really think he is so naive that after 20 years or so he still can't do such an elementary math? And the difference in start has of course nothing to do with engine usage habit in testing. If it was down to that, Ferrari would lap 20 second faster than Merc powered cars, given the way Ferrari pulled away at starting.

[Frank73]

I've tried to check 2025 after test reports and while most saw McLaren as fastest, many didn't think the advantage was significant and Ferrari test was seen as a really good one, best in years. Hamilton had some great quotes.

This would confirm that view, Ferrari uses more in testing. This could also be reason for their fast starts, more power = better starts.

You must be mistaken or something, cuz even Ferrari themselves admitted after testing in 2025 that testing didn't go as they had hoped, the car was problematic and the drivers weren't happy with it. This was just very open knowledge, and there was talk even before the season began about Ferrari having to change their update plans completely to try and solve some fundamental suspension issues(which is exactly what happened).

Yeah it was general consensus McL gave unequivocal signs of being on top during last year's winter testing.

[upsidedowntoast]

Mercedes already had the new spec.

Yes, but we have no idea how it really works because they were only running short stints and they had a ton of reliability issues.

It's better to find these issues in testing than in races.

Yeah, fingers crossed, really rooting for George here. Everyone else is looking very competitive.

[dialtone]

I've tried to check 2025 after test reports and while most saw McLaren as fastest, many didn't think the advantage was significant and Ferrari test was seen as a really good one, best in years. Hamilton had some great quotes.

This would confirm that view, Ferrari uses more in testing. This could also be reason for their fast starts, more power = better starts.

So why Hamilton great quotes? Do you really think he is so naive that after 20 years or so he still can't do such an elementary math? And the difference in start has of course nothing to do with engine usage habit in testing. If it was down to that, Ferrari would lap 20 second faster than Merc powered cars, given the way Ferrari pulled away at starting.

Ferrari was a good car if they could run low. Australia until FP3 they looked like a close 2nd behind MCL.

Then they saw they needed to lift the car by 5mm and everything went to crap. The win in China was a clear sign the car was potentially there. The DSQ in China was a sign that it wasn’t going to happen like that.

That being said, drivers in winter test were not happy, the car never really looked good from the onboard laps in Bahrain, lots of sliding in T7 and understeering.

Nobody was happy about winter testing and Lewis just wanted to be positive about his first year, like Charles wanted to as well.

[Matt2725]

The Race
Ferrari's genuine promise has a caveat

Charles Leclerc set the pace overall in testing, and there is no doubt that the Ferrari is a competitive package. It's proved that by also setting impressive times in long runs.

However, there’s no question that Ferrari has revealed pace closer to the maximum potential of its car than Mercedes has. Leclerc accepts that means it is "difficult to understand where we really stand because teams are hiding their true form".

Absolutely nothing about Leclerc's comment suggests Ferrari were showing their 'true form' anymore than anybody else. Absolutely flimsy claim.

It's not hard to come to that conclusion however. Unless you believe Ferrari is 8 tenths faster than the next team, then it's quite obvious Ferrari showed their hand much moreso than other teams.

[Frank73]

The Race
Ferrari's genuine promise has a caveat

Charles Leclerc set the pace overall in testing, and there is no doubt that the Ferrari is a competitive package. It's proved that by also setting impressive times in long runs.

However, there’s no question that Ferrari has revealed pace closer to the maximum potential of its car than Mercedes has. Leclerc accepts that means it is "difficult to understand where we really stand because teams are hiding their true form".

Absolutely nothing about Leclerc's comment suggests Ferrari were showing their 'true form' anymore than anybody else. Absolutely flimsy claim.

It's not hard to come to that conclusion however. Unless you believe Ferrari is 8 tenths faster than the next team, then it's quite obvious Ferrari showed their hand much moreso than other teams.

Two tenths or so given same compound. And something similar in long runs. And considering telemetry circulating in the net, there is no reason at all to assume they deployed significantly more energy than others.

[Seanspeed]

The Race
Ferrari's genuine promise has a caveat

Charles Leclerc set the pace overall in testing, and there is no doubt that the Ferrari is a competitive package. It's proved that by also setting impressive times in long runs.

However, there’s no question that Ferrari has revealed pace closer to the maximum potential of its car than Mercedes has. Leclerc accepts that means it is "difficult to understand where we really stand because teams are hiding their true form".

Absolutely nothing about Leclerc's comment suggests Ferrari were showing their 'true form' anymore than anybody else. Absolutely flimsy claim.

It's not hard to come to that conclusion however. Unless you believe Ferrari is 8 tenths faster than the next team, then it's quite obvious Ferrari showed their hand much moreso than other teams.

That gap was almost entirely based on tire compound, not the team 'showing more' than others.

[f1Follower]

Is there any comparison of tyre deg between 4 teams? It will play a major role as there will be high revs which will affect the tyres

[bluechris]

The Race
Ferrari's genuine promise has a caveat

Charles Leclerc set the pace overall in testing, and there is no doubt that the Ferrari is a competitive package. It's proved that by also setting impressive times in long runs.

However, there’s no question that Ferrari has revealed pace closer to the maximum potential of its car than Mercedes has. Leclerc accepts that means it is "difficult to understand where we really stand because teams are hiding their true form".

Absolutely nothing about Leclerc's comment suggests Ferrari were showing their 'true form' anymore than anybody else. Absolutely flimsy claim.

It's not hard to come to that conclusion however. Unless you believe Ferrari is 8 tenths faster than the next team, then it's quite obvious Ferrari showed their hand much moreso than other teams.

Ferrari nearly did 16 GP's with that engine when Leclerc did that time. You really believe that the engine was in the limit? All teams have a lot to give from the engine side from Melbourne and after.