George Russell has doubled down on the growing optimism within Mercedes regarding their 2026 power unit, confidently stating their belief in the new era.
Mercedes’ dominance in Formula 1 began in 2014 under the current power unit regulations, earning them eight consecutive Constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021. Now, as the 2026 season approaches, Mercedes is gearing up for the next major regulatory shift, this time incorporating increased electrical power and sustainable biofuels.
Toto Wolff and James Allison have already spoken highly of Mercedes’ 2026 preparations. Adding his voice to this confidence, George Russell shared his thoughts: ‘I mean, ordinarily 2026 seems like a long time away but in the world of Formula 1 it’s going to be here tomorrow, and the team is feeling really confident for this era. I think, you know, the experiences that the team have had, the success in 2014 with the new powertrain, and then obviously the time in Formula E, the work that was done with the Hypercar.’,’Russell continued, ‘There are a lot of individuals within HPP [High Performance Powertrains] who have got so much experience with this future technology. So I think that leaves us in a really great place to have a great engine. And the work Petronas are doing on the fuel as well is looking really strong. So on the engine side, I think we’re feeling very confident for that era.’
Wolff also chimed in, expressing cautious optimism: ‘I think we’re in a very good position for 2026, we are ambitious with the targets we set ourselves for the power unit, for the batteries, for the fuel. If we’re able to produce a decent chassis, we’re a good value proposition – but who knows? There is a certain degree of confidence that I have in our abilities and resources in HPP and, 2014, we got that right but there’s no guarantee we’re going to get it right in ’26. But we are giving it the utmost effort and we have set targets that we believe are high enough and ambitious enough to have a very competitive power unit. 2014 was obviously more of a journey into the unknown because it was such a change of regulation, but this is a little bit of a similar situation.’
While George Russell and Toto Wolff exude confidence in Mercedes’ preparations for the 2026 regulations, they acknowledge that success is not guaranteed. However, with a blend of past successes and advanced technological developments, Mercedes is undeniably setting high expectations for this upcoming era.
Source: Planetf1
