Mercedes boss savagely dismisses Red Bull as a thread for the 2026 F1 regulations

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has savagely dismissed Red Bull being a challenger at the front in 2026, as he feels that the new power unit program has a long way to go. The 2026 F1 regulations are a drastic change from what we have right now.

The power units are going to be split 50-50 in terms of electric power and the internal combustion engine. At the same time, we are looking at a return to active aerodynamics that would play a major role in how the cars perform on track.

According to rumors, it does appear that Mercedes has once again built a power unit that seems to be a step ahead of everyone else. Red Bull, on the other hand, has built an F1 power unit for the very first time.

Reports have suggested that Red Bull is potentially struggling and is behind schedule with their power unit, hence making their case weaker for being a frontrunner in 2026.

Talking to the Austrian outlet Kleine Zeitung, when questioned about what the challenge from the Austrian team would be, Wolff felt that it would be hard to see the Christian Horner-led squad making a splash right away. He said,

"Max is a loyal guy. I don't think he'll jump at the first opportunity to jump ship if he feels things are going south there. The team dynamics around Helmut Marko certainly play a role, and certainly also whether the car is competitive for next year."

He added,

"Of course, it's always possible that something good will come out of their infrastructure and their people. But if you calculate how likely that is, it would be a real feat if they succeed in making a big splash right away."

Mercedes boss feels that if someone messes up the PU, the gap would be in seconds

The last time there was a wholesale change in the power unit philosophy was in 2014, when Mercedes built a PU that gave the team a lead of more than a second over the chasing pack.

This time around, though, Wolff cautioned that McLaren, Williams, and Alpine would have the same power unit, making the situation trickier. He did, however, warn that if teams did mess up the PUs, the gap would be in seconds and not tenths. He said,

"Of course, I would like it to be like that again, but McLaren, Williams, and Alpine will also get our engine. If someone completely messes up when it comes to the engine, whether it's Red Bull, Ferrari, or even us, then they have a real problem. Because then you're not talking about a deficit of tenths of a second, but much more."

The 2026 regulations are starting to become a talking point this season, but the reality will only come out next year when they take the cars out on the track for the first time. Mercedes could potentially have the best PU, but for now it's hard to make a call.

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli