Williams team principal James Vowles spoke on the subject of 2026 engines, and according to him, Mercedes has been “very intelligent”.
The F1 engine subject has been in the news in recent days with the choice made by Alpine to abandon its in-house power unit at the end of 2025.
A customer team from 2026, it seems that Alpine will be equipped with a Mercedes engine, and according to the boss of the Williams team, the job has been very well done at the Brixworth factory.
“I think Mercedes did an exceptional job, which is why I was very happy to re-sign for an extension [de contrat]”, said James Vowles on the Beyond The Grid podcast.
“And I think you’re going to see differences between power units that don’t exist today. Today, almost all power units are very close to each other.”
“I think this will change in 2026 and you will see a difference between the power units. I just don’t think it will be at the same level as in 2014, where there was such a difference between the teams.”
Read also: Luca de Meo explains why Viry-Châtillon is not at the level of Mercedes
Mercedes and investi “earlier than others” according to Vowles
James Vowles, former Mercedes F1 executive, also revealed that the German team had invested “earlier” than the competition.
“This is a complete overhaul of what you do in an electric world and how you extract maximum performance from your internal combustion engine is different again”, continues Vowles.
“So this is an opportunity. And in the case of Mercedes, they were very smart in investing earlier than others, and including different technologies.”
Also read: James Vowles explains why Williams will have “the best driver duo” in 2025
