The future F1 power unit market: Mercedes to reduce customers, Honda considers expansion
Looking ahead to 2026, the landscape of Formula 1 power unit suppliers will shift significantly. With Audi entering the fray, Red Bull producing its own Ford units, and Renault exiting the scene, five manufacturers will supply the grid. Some, like Honda, have already reduced their supply—they will now provide engines exclusively to Aston Martin, no longer supporting Red Bull and Racing Bulls. Others are planning similar changes, including Mercedes, as confirmed by team principal Toto Wolff.
Wolff on Mercedes’ strategy
“Our current plan, even after discussions with Ola (Kallenius, co-owner of the team), is to reduce the number of teams we supply with engines in the next cycle. It depends on the new regulations. Are they simple or not? What do we believe we can learn by supplying more teams while having to finalize certain projects in advance?” Wolff explained in an interview with Beyond the Grid.
Toto Wolff suggested that the ideal number of teams for Mercedes, including itself, would be “between two and three.” This decision is largely about workload and delivery timing. Supplying four teams and eight cars means having 16 power units ready in Melbourne—a logistical and engineering burden Mercedes may no longer wish to bear. Hywel Thomas, head of Mercedes power units, acknowledged the trade-off: “Supplying more teams gives us more data and more mileage. You have four times as many engineers telling you where to improve. On the flip side, we need to build a huge amount of hardware and make some decisions early. I’m not sure what the ideal number of teams is—probably closer to four than one.”
Current situation and Honda’s potential role
Currently, Mercedes builds engines for itself, Williams, McLaren, and Alpine, after Alpine replaced Aston Martin. Based on Wolff’s comments, it’s likely that one of these teams could change suppliers in the near future. Should that happen, Honda is a potential candidate. As HRC president Koji Watanabe said, “For now, we are focused on Aston Martin, but if we see benefits in supplying multiple teams in the future, we would certainly consider it.”
As Formula 1 approaches a new era under 2026 regulations, the power unit market is poised for significant reshaping, with Mercedes streamlining its client base and Honda potentially expanding, which could reshape the competitive dynamics across the grid.
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