Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord has clarified why customer teams are unable to extract the same power unit performance as the works outfit. Lord stated that customer teams, including McLaren, Alpine, and Williams, lack the identical ‘toolset’ available to the factory team.
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella had previously expressed surprise regarding the performance disparity. Stella noted that Mercedes appeared to possess a deeper understanding of the power unit’s exploitation, suggesting that the flow of information had not met expectations.
The issue gained prominence at Silverstone when Stella questioned Mercedes’ throttle-lift technique on straights, a method McLaren was reportedly unaware of and believed might require additional hardware.
Lord explained that the situation adheres to both Formula 1 regulations and existing contracts. He emphasized that while Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) supplies the power units, the intellectual property (IP) for many crucial simulation tools belongs to the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
These advanced toolsets, vital for predicting power unit and chassis behaviour, have been developed collaboratively between the Mercedes Grand Prix chassis team and HPP at Brixworth.
Formula 1 technical regulations are explicit regarding the non-sharing of chassis team intellectual property between different teams. This legal framework prevents Mercedes from fully transferring these proprietary tools to its customers.
Consequently, customer teams are required to invest their own cost cap resources into developing comparable toolsets. This allows them to maximize the performance potential of the supplied power units independently.
The 2026 Formula 1 season introduced significant power unit regulation changes, marking a shift to a 50% internal combustion engine (ICE) and 50% electric power split, from the previous 80:20 ratio. Fuel flow has been reduced from 100kg/hr to approximately 75kg/hr, and the MGU-K’s power output has increased from 120kW to 350kW, with the MGU-H removed.
These new regulations have made power unit exploitation more intricate, demanding sophisticated integration between the engine and chassis. Customer teams often find themselves ‘out of the main loop’ regarding optimal engine integration and development timelines.
McLaren, the reigning World Constructors’ Champions from 2025, has faced specific challenges this season. The team reportedly made an early error with shorter gear ratios based on initial Mercedes data, which did not align with the power unit’s actual output.
Additionally, McLaren admitted to designing their 2026 car with a wheelbase that is too short, which is expected to limit aerodynamic development until the 2027 season. These factors have contributed to a performance deficit, particularly in straight-line speed.
As of August 19, 2026, Mercedes leads the Constructors’ Championship with 379 points, having secured eight victories in the current season. Ferrari holds second place with 307 points, while McLaren is third with 220 points and one victory.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli leads with 219 points. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, is currently second with 169 points, maintaining a 50-point gap to Antonelli. George Russell, Antonelli’s teammate at Mercedes, is third with 160 points.
Everything is in the rules and everything is in the contract. I think McLaren and the other customer teams, Alpine and Williams, are great partners to work with, they’re rightly demanding. They’ve chosen Mercedes because they choose to work with a company that provides excellent support and a great product.
