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Mercedes’ big swing in Formula E could make the difference for them in the upcoming F1 season.
With testing wrapped up and the Australian GP less than two weeks away, fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the Formula 1 campaign.
One of the big standouts from testing was the impressive performance of Mercedes, with many believing their new power unit is going to be a massive difference maker for them.
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The new Mercedes-AMG F1 M17 power unit is going to be used by four teams this season, including McLaren.
However, Mercedes have been backed to deploy their strategies for the power unit a lot better, thanks to their success in Formula E.
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Peter Windsor expects Formula E experience to pay off for Mercedes
After seeing the results of testing, Peter Windsor gave his thoughts on what he saw from Mercedes at Bahrain.
In particular, he pointed to the power unit and how Mercedes’ experience in Formula E with their homebuilt powertrain being a difference maker for them from a strategy standpoint.
“Yes. The power unit advantage comes in two different ways. First, you have the fundamentals of the package, how they’ve laid out the power unit, and how they’re working with the hybrid and energy recovery systems.”
“That’s locked into the Mercedes power unit that both Mercedes and McLaren, and their other customers, will benefit from.”
“But then you’ve got how they deploy those strategies. How are they recovering energy around the lap?…”
“I think where they will benefit is in their energy recovery strategies used through the weekend. That’s where Mercedes have got the benefit.”
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McLaren top the mileage charts after Bahrain testing 🏎️
But do any of these totals change your expectations for the season? 🤔
Mercedes must capitalize on unique advantage to start 2026 campaign
While the power unit itself is quite strong, it’s Mercedes’ experience with energy management and energy recovery in Formula E that sets them above the rest in Windsor’s eyes.
“Mercedes developed their own Formula E powertrain, and it was very effective. It won championships. A lot of the strategies they are using in Formula E — when to recover energy, when to save energy, when to deploy it — that’s all stuff you learn very quickly there.”
“Formula 1 is moving into an area where energy recovery and energy management is probably the one thing that separates all of these cars through the year. So I think Mercedes have an advantage.”
Mercedes were one of the teams that had a successful testing period, despite some one-off struggles during the period.
The hope is that power unit failures like the one Kimi Antonelli experienced during the race are a one-off, especially given how strong they looked elsewhere.
With such a unique advantage in their back pockets, it behoves Mercedes to capitalise on this with a strong start to the season.
Failing to do so could allow teams like McLaren to put the pieces together and close a smaller gap later in the year, which could be catastrophic.
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