Already, a war of words has broken out between Red Bull and Mercedes over the 2026 season. The Austrian team believes that the situation in Brackley is far from ideal.
On the eve of the tests that will reveal where all the teams stand at the start of the new 2026 regulations, accusations between the top teams have already begun. Specifically, Red Bull is convinced that Mercedes itself has been fueling the narrative suggesting it will be the favourite for the new season.
The 2014 precedent and new rumours
Comparisons with the past are unavoidable. In 2014, with the introduction of turbo-hybrid engines, Mercedes built an enormous technical advantage, dominating the early years of the new regulations.
Now, once again, some voices in the paddock suggest that the Silver Arrows may have repeated that success, exploiting a supposed grey area related to the engine’s compression ratio. According to these rumours, Mercedes could arrive at the first Barcelona tests as the new benchmark.
Red Bull itself was thought to have exploited this grey area, though the team later denied it. However, the Milton Keynes squad has not remained silent and has offered its own interpretation of the rumours surrounding their rivals.
Hodgkinson calms the storm: “Rumours started by Mercedes”
Ben Hodgkinson, technical director of Red Bull Powertrains and a former key figure at Mercedes, took a clear stance. Ben Hodgkinson worked at Mercedes for over twenty years before leaving in 2022.
According to him, many of the rumours circulating in recent weeks originated within Mercedes itself. “I believe a lot of this chatter started with Mercedes themselves. As my grandmother used to say: it’s the empty cans that make the most noise,” he told The Express.
The British engineer also suggested these rumours should be read strategically. “There’s a lot of talk that Mercedes will become the benchmark.
“Many of these stories started with them, probably because the driver market is very tough and they wanted to attract people with a car that at the time was not competitive. If a rumour is repeated long enough, people end up believing it and start looking for explanations.”
Ben Hodgkinson then downplayed the hype, emphasizing that the true comparison will be on track. “Mercedes is a very strong engine manufacturer. I worked there for 20 years, so I know it very well. I just want to focus and move forward. In the end, it will be the results on track that speak,” he concluded.
The verbal sparring between Ben Hodgkinson and his former employers at Mercedes Highlights the high stakes of the 2026 engine transition. By dismissing Mercedes’ rumored technical breakthrough as a “marketing ploy” designed to stabilize their driver lineup and recruitment, Red Bull is attempting to shift the pressure back onto Brackley. As we approach the Barcelona tests, the focus remains on whether the “empty can” analogy holds water or if Mercedes has truly found a silver bullet in the compression ratio regulations that will define the next decade of Formula 1.
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