Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
The start of the 2026 Formula 1 season will see 11 teams with their own ideas on how to tackle a new set of regulations come together after years of convergence.
McLaren established themselves as the team to beat in 2025, but there’s no guarantee that Lando Norris will be in a position to defend his drivers’ championship.
However, the current rumours about Mercedes’ power unit suggest that McLaren might be very well placed compared to their rivals.
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It’s believed that four engine manufacturers are ready to vote against Mercedes if the Formula 1 commission looks at a potential loophole that they’ve found in the compression ratio of their power unit.
Toto Wolff has sent a message of defiance to the rest of the grid, urging them to step up as opposed to penalising his team for the work they’ve done in preparation for F1’s new regulations.
Reporter Craig Slater has provided the latest information he’s heard about the loophole and what senior figures in the sport are saying about the chances of Mercedes being pegged back before a wheel has even turned at the Australian Grand Prix.
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F1 ‘leadership figures’ think outrage over Mercedes engine trick has been ‘overblown’
Slater was reporting from Bahrain for Sky Sports ahead of F1 testing officially beginning on Wednesday and explained: “It has been a big fuss in advance of this season.
“It’s the notion that Mercedes, who are experts at building engines, have been able to do something clever with the cylinder chamber to expand the ratio beyond potentially what is prescribed in the regulations when the car is warmed up.
“Are they doing something clever with expanding metallurgy, which is pretty normal to be fair, in Formula 1.
“The rules dictate that the tests for these things are done at ambient temperatures. So Mercedes can satisfy those tests, and maybe the engine is running rather more optimally when the car is on track.
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“But people will be reading about the other four engine manufacturers, including Red Bull potentially, not being happy about this, trying to get together, trying to create a vote to get this outlawed and changed to maybe have a sensor or something like that put into the chamber when the car is circulating on track so it can be measured when the engine is up to temperature.
“My understanding, and I’ve spoken to several leadership figures within Formula 1 and been in touch with them, is that we are a long way from that.
“Discussions are still being had, and there is a feeling that this whole issue has been rather overblown.
“It might be overtaken by other events. One insider explained to me that there have been so many radical changes to both the engine and the chassis rules that there is always likely to be discussions and compromises to be found when different teams have found different solutions.”
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Red Bull’s rivalry with Mercedes set to take centre stage during the 2026 F1 season
There are already suggestions that Honda are struggling with their power unit, and Audi are unlikely to be immediately competitive with their first F1 engine.
This leaves the Ferrari and Red Bull-powered cars to challenge the Mercedes-backed teams.
Ferrari came away from the Barcelona test in a positive mood, but it’s Red Bull and Max Verstappen who many will tip to be Mercedes’ closest rival this year.
Laurent Mekies is starting to play political games to give Red Bull the best chance possible, and while he’s not displayed the same level of competitiveness as Christian Horner yet, he looks set to be the man tasked with stopping Toto Wolff this year.
It would mean Verstappen and George Russell’s rivalry returning to the fore, which can only be good news for fans waiting for the season to start.
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