2026 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

[OverheatedTurbo]

Third rate chassis deffo showed up in Monaco vs the first class chassis. All that talk about the Ferrari being fastest in the corners were effectively snuffed this weekend.

[AR3-GP]

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted he fears rival teams could try and use "gamesmanship" to take advantage of the new engine rule.

Speaking to media including Crash.net on 20 April, Wolff said: "The principle of ADUO was to allow teams that were on the back foot in terms of the power unit to catch up, but not to leapfrog.

"And it needs to be very clear that whatever decisions are being made, whichever team is granted ADUO, that any such decision may have a big impact on the performance picture and on the championship, if not done with absolute precision and clarity and transparency.

"It needs to be clear that gamesmanship hasn't got any place here, but it needs to be with the right spirit here that the FIA acts upon an ADUO.

"The teams will have their performance pictures and, as it seems for me, there's one engine manufacturer that has a problem and we need to help. And then all the others are pretty much in the same ballpark.

"I would be very surprised, actually, and disappointed if ADUO decisions that were done would come up with any interferences into the competitive pecking order as it stands at the moment."

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1092945/1 ... ine%20rule.

[zibby43]

This is very confusing to me. The consensus was I think that Mercedes had the best ICE and therefore had better harvesting but that then does not seem to be the case? Where's the advantage then?

The first question you have to ask is “who constituted the consensus.” I remember a few articles early in the season suggesting that RB had developed the most powerful ICE.

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/wher ... stacks-up/

These PUs are complex and Merc may have been the best at optimizing their entire package. I also think some of their straight line performance can be attributed to their excellent aero efficiency, something that was underrated in the early turbo hybrid as well.

There's nothing that supports Mercedes not having the best overall PU. They have simply exploited a blind spot in the ADUO decision process. A PU is not an ICE. It is an ICE and a hybrid. Whether they negotiated to remove the compression ratio thing, or detuned the ICE because the hybrid worked so well, they've done something that allows them to get ADUO even though they are already the best PU.

Please give me some evidence that supports your conclusion that Merc have actively exploited something. I haven’t seen any. Looking forward to the exclusive insight.

[zibby43]

Third rate chassis deffo showed up in Monaco vs the first class chassis. All that talk about the Ferrari being fastest in the corners were effectively snuffed this weekend.

Big-time. It was already growing tiresome hearing the “Merc is all engine” chatter. Lapping the field on the least-power sensitive circuit on the calendar has to make the Brackley boys feel good.

[AR3-GP]

Please give me some evidence that supports your conclusion that Merc have actively exploited something. I haven’t seen any. Looking forward to the exclusive insight.

It's a figure of speech. I'm pointing to using half of the PU (ice index) to unlock tokens for both sides of the PU (ice + hybrid). It is a convergence system with a significant blind spot. If that blind spot is this big that it would grant Mercedes ADUO, then it is not fit to be called a convergence system.

[SiLo]

The issue is not then having a seperate version of ADUO for the electrical powertrain. Mercedes have blown everyone out of the water with their harvesting and deployment but now it gets to compound that advantage.

[zibby43]

Please give me some evidence that supports your conclusion that Merc have actively exploited something. I haven’t seen any. Looking forward to the exclusive insight.

It's a figure of speech. I'm pointing to using half of the PU (ice index) to unlock tokens for both sides of the PU (ice + hybrid). It is a convergence system with a significant blind spot. If that blind spot is this big that it would grant Mercedes ADUO, then it is not fit to be called a convergence system.

ADUO is a cost cap relief mechanism, not a BoP system. If a manufacturer’s ICE is measured to be 2% or more behind the leading benchmark, they are granted regulatory and financial leeway to develop their engine. It’s always been framed this broadly from the public disclosures I’ve seen.

[zibby43]

The issue is not then having a seperate version of ADUO for the electrical powertrain. Mercedes have blown everyone out of the water with their harvesting and deployment but now it gets to compound that advantage.

They are given a financial and regulatory opportunity to do so but they still have to execute.

[AR3-GP]

Please give me some evidence that supports your conclusion that Merc have actively exploited something. I haven’t seen any. Looking forward to the exclusive insight.

It's a figure of speech. I'm pointing to using half of the PU (ice index) to unlock tokens for both sides of the PU (ice + hybrid). It is a convergence system with a significant blind spot. If that blind spot is this big that it would grant Mercedes ADUO, then it is not fit to be called a convergence system.

ADUO is a cost cap relief mechanism, not a BoP system. If a manufacturer’s ICE is measured to be 2% or more behind the leading benchmark, they are granted regulatory and financial leeway to develop their engine. It’s always been framed this broadly from the public disclosures I’ve seen.

I didn't say it's BOP. Also "cost cap relief" sounds like an oxymoron. The cost cap is there to reduce cost. No one wants "relief" from it. On ADUO, it IS a catch up mechanism. That's why I said convergence. Toto Wolff explained this already:

Speaking to media including Crash.net on 20 April, Wolff said: "The principle of ADUO was to allow teams that were on the back foot in terms of the power unit to catch up, but not to leapfrog.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1092945/1 ... ine%20rule

So yes the spirit is a convergence system. Trailing PU manufacturers should catch up but not leapfrog. The current system does not prevent that, especially as we can see Mercedes has been permitted upgrades on things that don't need them (relative to the other manufacturers). It was always meant to converge the entire power unit, not just the ICE. That's why the tokens allow you additional upgrades on the hybrid. but as we can see the situation F1 has now is where the leading PU manufacturer has been mistakenly granted benefits that promote getting further ahead, rather than allowing the real trailing manufacturers to catch up.