George Russell may have re-signed for Mercedes as a new era in Formula 1 looms, but admits that he “would be a fool” to go all in on Mercedes as the leading force.
F1 2026 marks a year of sweeping change for Formula 1, and Mercedes is attracting plenty of attention as a manufacturer which could ace the new ruleset. Russell admits that the connections between these regulations – and the era which Mercedes dominated – are favourable, but he retains a degree of caution.
F1 2026 rules closer to ‘when Mercedes dominated’
Smaller, lighter cars are on the way for F1 2026, ones which will utilise active aerodynamics on the front and rear wings.
At the same time, new 50/50 electrical and biofuel engines will arrive, making this one of the biggest year on year overhauls which the sport has ever experienced.
A driver to watch in this fresh start for Formula 1 is George Russell. He heads into F1 2026 following a standout 2025, and feels ready to challenge for a first Drivers’ Championship.
Speaking with Auto Motor und Sport, Russell noted that “next year’s aerodynamic rules are closer to what we had in the era before, when Mercedes dominated the field”.
The Mercedes power unit, meanwhile, is a popular pick to be strong in F1 2026.
No firm evidence exists to support that theory, such is the complete reset that F1 2026 brings, but, Mercedes has previous.
When the first hybrid engines arrived in Formula 1 in 2014, Mercedes embarked on a run of eight consecutive Constructors’ Championship wins, with seven Drivers’ title wins also coming in that time.
“Mercedes has been the benchmark in this area for many years,” Russell points out.
Of course, each team and manufacturer can only take care of themselves. There is no understanding of what a rival is doing in comparison until the track running begins.
As such, while Russell speaks of signs pointing in Mercedes’ favour, he declares: “I would be a fool to say that I would bet all my money on Mercedes.”
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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff also shied away from making bold predictions on what Mercedes could achieve in F1’s new era, having failed to mount a title challenge under the ground effect ruleset.
He told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media: “It’s super difficult to predict, because we set ourselves targets that we are on track to meet, but whether those targets were set ambitious enough, and whether those targets have been set in the right place in terms of priorities, the future will show.”
Wolff harked back to Mercedes’ past, record-breaking success between 2014-21. He argued that landscape is not fully comparable to the F1 2026 chassis and engine reset.
“I kind of had the feeling already in the winter where we were the first one running a full car dyno,” Wolff recalled on the lead up to 2014. “The engine was more reliable than it seemed with the other people.
“And obviously day one testing, nobody did some laps. We did. The same in day two.
“So, it’s not comparable, I would say. It’s also that the grid is just much more competitive than it was in previous years.”
Mercedes is one of five engine manufacturers for 2026 alongside Ferrari, Red Bull-Ford, Honda and Audi.
The grid expands to 11 teams meanwhile, with the arrival of Cadillac.
Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher
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