Williams boss accuses ‘one team and PU manufacturer’ of creating F1 2026 engine ‘narrative’

2026 is here, and anticipation is building over the coming season of Formula 1 action. With new chassis and engine regulations in play, Mercedes has been attracting plenty of attention.

Considering how Mercedes embarked on a record-breaking run of dominance when the engines changed in 2014, the Silver Arrows have been tipped to start strong in F1 2026 under the new chassis and engine rules. Williams boss James Vowles said no manufacturer knows where they really stand, and that one rival created a “narrative to push some changes” regarding the engines.

F1 2026 pecking order unknown

It is all change in Formula 1 for F1 2026, with the introduction of smaller, lighter cars, using active aerodynamics, plus 50/50 electric and biofuel engines.

With Mercedes fancied by many to produce a very competitive power unit – although no firm evidence yet exists – it has led to positive predictions over the chances of Mercedes engine customers McLaren, Williams and Alpine in the season ahead.

“So, 100 per cent, if Brackley is very good at one thing, it’s regulation change,” Williams team principal James Vowles commented to PlanetF1.com and other accredited media. “I think that’s clear. And Mercedes are very good at it as well.

“I’ve done everything we have to do to keep growing this team to be at a championship level in the future, but we do not have the facilities or the capability of Mercedes. It’s as simple as that today.

“So whilst they’ve been preparing pretty much just by ironing out the regulations and getting it right, what I’ve been doing is more laying more of a groundwork out on top of trying to focus some time on the 2026 car.

“So what you can read into that is I know where it will rank out next year, and they will be, I’m sure, very strong. I’m okay with that. My goal is to move this team forward step on step each year. And I think we have the capability.”

Vowles added: “The interesting way that these regulations are now formed is it’s harder and harder to do brave decisions, because it is going narrower and narrower, the possibilities.

“That said, we made some calls very early on, in January [2025], about what we wanted the chassis to be, where we wanted the fuel to be, how we wanted to use electrical energy, which we then reviewed six months later, and we wouldn’t have changed any of those.

“And I would call that brave. That’s a very early point to making decisions. So, let’s see if we still believe those are correct in three months time.”

Formula 1 is embracing one of its biggest year on year changes yet, with both the chassis and engine regulations overhauled at the same time.

Vowles insists that the engine manufacturers do not know how they will compare to each other until the track action begins. Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull-Ford, Honda and Audi are all signed up.

Vowles also suggested that “one team and PU manufacturer” had been “trying to create a narrative” on the engine front, for tactical purposes.

Aside from the chatter over which manufacturer is going to deliver the best power unit, there has also been talk of a potential loophole in the engine rules, focusing on Article C5.4.3 in the Technical Regulations, and the wording around how the compression ratio will be measured.

PlanetF1.com’s Mat Coch recently dived into a deep analysis of the situation, and discovered what is really going on.

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Vowles added: “No one knows, no one of any engine manufacturer, where they’re going to fall out.

“And part of the speculation that appeared, I think, was one team and PU manufacturer trying to create a narrative to push some changes, to be completely clear.

“But no one really knows.

“I strongly doubt that Ferrari have done a poor job. They’re very good at getting this right year on year as well. Honda this year have produced a benchmark engine as well.

“So, I don’t think it’s going to be like 2014 where you have such a runaway that you can have all the teams carried with it.

“I think Mercedes, we’ve been working specifically on 2026 with them since early 2024 when we signed the agreement. And what I can say is they’ve done good preparation. Let’s see what that translates to.

“In terms of our aspirations, I think top three, again, would be above what we’re expecting. Stepping forward year on year is a sensible goal for us. Top three would be aspirational.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher

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