Rival manufacturers on the defensive
Even without considering the hiccups various engine departments have encountered, some manufacturers are simply playing catch-up to Mercedes.
Red Bull and Audi, who will debut their engines for the first time, are still in the process of assembling and expanding the personnel and infrastructure needed to deliver a competitive engine.
Audi, who deliberated slightly about joining F1 before officially committing in August 2022, have been open about the challenge ahead. Mattia Binotto insists that their objective for this year is not the field the best engine, but instead to lay the foundations for future development.
Thanks to Audi’s resources, the factory in Neuburg has an impressive quality and quantity of personnel at their disposal. At the same time, most of these hires are not from F1 – but instead have been signed from Audi’s other motorsport branches.
In this sense, the German team needs time to gather experience in the F1 Championship.
Red Bull have taken the opposite approach, aggressively signing personnel from other manufacturers. To some extent, this strategy has successfully allowed the Milton Keynes squad to acquire over 700 staff for their engine department.
At the same time, Red Bull still have a lot to learn. Whilst they have invested sufficiently to field a competitive engine, their chances of matching Mercedes are extremely low.
This is something team principal Laurent Mekies has admitted to, warning that the first months of 2026 could be painful. Though the Austrian team should never be written off, matching Mercedes power is unrealistic in the short term.
Turning to the more established manufacturers, there are still some relatively important issues to contend with.
On paper, Honda are well-equipped to challenge Mercedes. Having won several titles with Red Bull, the Japanese manufacturer has the infrastructure and know-how to excel.
Unfortunately for Honda, their 2026 development started later than Mercedes. At the end of 2021, the iconic Japanese brand announced they would leave F1 at the end of 2025. At the time, it was their intention to abandon the sport with the introduction of the new regulations.
Of course, they changed their minds on this – eventually signing an agreement to power Aston Martin. However, this deal was signed in the early months of 2023.
This put Honda a few steps behind Mercedes, who were already deep into the 2026 engine regulations. Perhaps more importantly, Honda were forced to build from the ground up after winding down their investment in F1 after their initial decision to leave the sport in 2021.
Because of this, despite a wealth of experience and modern facilities, there are obstacles for Aston Martin’s engine partner.
More recently, statements from Honda Racing Cooperation President Koji Watanabe suggest there are still certain problems to address before the season begins.
Although all teams and manufacturers will be constantly improving, there is a growing sense that Honda must take some risks to compensate for the delays and interruptions in their 2026 trajectory.