Mercedes have only dialled their 2026 F1 engine to ‘3.5 out of 5’ so they don’t ‘show off’

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Mercedes are deliberately leaving performance on the table with their F1 engine mapping because they don’t want to ‘show off’, according to a report. George Russell has topped every competitive session so far this season.

Russell continued his early dominance in Sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday as he led a Mercedes one-two. Lando Norris, the nearest external challenger, was over six-tenths adrift.

Mercedes enjoyed a similarly imperious margin in Australian GP qualifying before the fast-starting Ferrari cars challenged them in the race. But they may be disguising the full potential of the W17.

Mercedes boast a 0.621s lead over McLaren atop the SQ3 timesheets after Sprint Qualifying in China

Who was your star of Sprint Qualifying in Shanghai?

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Mercedes still haven’t optimised their F1 engine mapping in ominous sign for rivals

On a podcast this week, Ted Kravitz suggested that Mercedes may have turned their engine down in Melbourne. Russell repeatedly exchanged positions with Leclerc in the early stages but the Silver Arrows were fairly comfortable after committing to an early pit stop under the virtual safety car.

Based on a report from Motorsport Italy, Kravitz’s suspicions were correct. On a scale of one to five, Mercedes have ‘settled’ for a ‘3.5’ when it comes to their engine mapping.

• READ MORE: David Coulthard says Mercedes have used ‘interesting tactics’ against engine customers McLaren

Put simply, that means they have not optimised the performance of their power unit because ‘they don’t need to show off unnecessarily’. At the start of a new rules cycle, there are also ‘reliability risks’ attached to truly ‘stretching’ the engine.

Mercedes underlined their confidence during FP1 in China by carrying out a long run as their rivals prioritised single-lap performance. After crushing the field in Australia, perhaps they felt they had pole in hand.

Is it down to McLaren to save Formula 1?

If Mercedes can dial their engine up to another level, then perhaps the best hope for a competitive season lies with McLaren. Norris gave the reigning champions cause for optimism with a P3 on Friday.

As the report explains, McLaren have received identical ‘hardware’ to Mercedes, as mandated by the regulations, but they’re still lagging behind their engine suppliers when it comes to the ‘software’.

Andrea Stella’s team are ‘starting to understand hybrid management’ after an intense week of studying Mercedes’ ‘secrets’. That allowed them to edge Ferrari at the start of the weekend.

Jacques Villeneuve says Mercedes prioritised 2026 more than McLaren, who successfully chased both championships last year, and believes there is also a significant gap in the chassis department.