George Russell hits out at ‘nonsense’ claims he’s now hearing about Mercedes’ 2026 F1 engine

George Russell believes there is now a lot of ‘noise’ surrounding Mercedes’ engine for the power unit regulations in the 2026 Formula 1 rules with claims that are ‘not facts’.

F1 will enforce its biggest overhaul of the engine regulations next year since introducing the 1.6-litre V6 turbo-hybrid power units in 2014 which triggered a dominant era for Mercedes. The Silver Arrows won seven drivers’ titles plus eight constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021.

Next season’s power units will retain the base 1.6L V6 turbo-hybrid engine from the existing regulations. But F1 is removing the highly complex MGU-H, which recovers energy from the turbo, and is upping the electrical power share to 50% compared to the current 20/80 split.

The increased electrical power output has proven to be a major point of contention, though. Fears are rife that the 2026 F1 engine regulations may see drivers run out of power, with the Italian Grand Prix a particular concern as circa 80% of a lap of Monza is spent on full throttle.

George Russell hits out at ‘nonsense’ claims Mercedes will have the best 2026 F1 engine

Removing the MGU-H convinced Honda to remain in F1, with the brand leaving Red Bull for Aston Martin in 2026, along with persuading Audi to take over Sauber. Teams are now hard at work building their power units, with Mercedes tipped to have the best 2026 F1 engine.

The F1 paddock fears Mercedes might dominate the 2026 regulations, as well, with Red Bull worried they could have a performance deficit with their first in-house power unit designed with help from Ford. But Russell slams claims that Mercedes’ 2026 engine will be the best.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulations

“There’s a lot of positivity around our 2026 engine. But this is noise, not facts,” Russell has told Mundo Deportivo. “How do you know what the others will do?

“I know what Mercedes have. But I don’t know what Ferrari have. I don’t know what Red Bull have. So, all this noise is nonsense.”

Red Bull lobbied to change the 2026 F1 engine rules for fear of Mercedes’ advantage

Such are Red Bull’s concerns that their first in-house power unit will be inferior to Mercedes’ unit next term that Red Bull tried to reduce the electrical output of F1’s 2026 engines down to 40 or 30%. But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was one of the biggest opponents to the tweak.

Ford Motorsports president Mark Rushbrook also recently conceded that Red Bull’s 2026 F1 engine could have reliability concerns, on top of the Milton Keynes natives’ concerns about its power disparity to Mercedes’ unit. But life might be even worse for Audi when they join.

Mattia Binotto, the head of Audi’s F1 project, has also now admitted that Audi’s 2026 F1 car ‘won’t have the best’ engine on next year’s grid. Audi will debut in Formula 1 next year after taking over Sauber, who are even the worst team on the current grid with six points so far.