Wolff suggests that McLaren might surpass Mercedes in 2026 as well.

      While Mercedes might gain an edge over its competitors in 2026, Toto Wolff emphasizes that this doesn't automatically place the works team at the forefront. Adrian Newey mentioned to Auto Motor und Sport this week that there is a "strong possibility" Formula 1 will become "an engine-dominated formula," at least initially with the upcoming rule changes. This could partly clarify why Newey decided to leave amid Red Bull's leadership issues last year, as the team is set to lose its works Honda power to Aston Martin while developing its own power units in partnership with Ford. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner remarked recently, "Ferrari has 75 years of experience in engine manufacturing, and Mercedes has 30 years with HPP (High Performance Powertrains)." He noted, "The challenge we face is significant."

      In the past, when engine regulations underwent a major shift, moving from naturally-aspirated V8s to the current hybrid 'power units' in 2014, Mercedes and its works team dominated the following seven world championships. Therefore, it's not surprising that team principal Wolff stated he’s "not worried" about the 2026 changes. "It’s a really interesting challenge," he commented. "You need to perform your job to the best of your ability at all levels." However, unlike in 2014, the chassis regulations are also changing quite significantly this time. Wolff acknowledged, "A good engine alone will not benefit us," adding, "Because McLaren has one as well."

      Indeed, McLaren secured the constructors’ world championship in 2024, while Mercedes finished in fourth place. McLaren CEO Zak Brown pointed out, "There are no longer any disadvantages since the FIA standardized the engine maps for all teams from a manufacturer." He further added, "The engine that (Lewis) Hamilton used was no better than Lando (Norris)’s. The factory team only holds one advantage - they access the engine data earlier, which gives them a slight head start for packaging the components." Wolff agrees that if the new engine turns out to be superior, the works Mercedes team won't have a significant edge. "In that case, we would need to outperform them with the chassis," the Austrian stated. "We have nowhere to hide."