Lando Norris warns: Red Bull Powertrains has “evident” edge over Mercedes for 2026. Lando Norris admits Red Bull’s power unit is ahead of Mercedes in efficiency.

Lando Norris doesn’t look for excuses. In an interview with RacingNews365, the McLaren driver provided a clear-eyed analysis of one of the most sensitive topics of the season: the competitiveness of Mercedes and Red Bull power units. Lando Norris highlighted energy efficiency as a key factor, openly acknowledging Red Bull Powertrains’ work and emphasizing that, at the moment, the gap is evident.

Mercedes power unit still needs work

As reported by RacingNews365, Lando Norris explained:

“Right now, there are so many factors to consider. It’s about implementation and battery efficiency. This mainly concerns the HPP side, and so far they’ve done a good job. Now we need to analyze the details, gather the information, and try to turn it into a better overall power unit. But I think we need more efficiency. There are pros and cons—it’s not easy to achieve. They’ve probably already done it, so we’ll have to learn. I can improve a few small things, but it certainly won’t make a difference compared to what Red Bull Powertrains is doing.”

Red Bull ahead of Mercedes: Norris has no doubts

Norris openly recognized the merits of the competition:

“They have a strong power unit, it’s very efficient, and we need to understand how they manage that. There are things I can do better, some things we at McLaren can improve, but even on the Mercedes HPP side there are definitely areas where we need to get better. Red Bull seems to have done an excellent job, and their power unit looks very strong, so congratulations to them. At the moment, they are a clear step ahead of us.”

Lando Norris’s candid admission regarding the superiority of Red Bull Powertrains highlights a potential shift in the Formula 1 engine hierarchy for the 2026 era. While Mercedes has traditionally been the gold standard for hybrid efficiency, Lando Norris’s focus on Red Bull’s “deployment and battery efficiency” suggests that the newcomers have successfully optimized the new 50/50 power split. As McLaren and Mercedes HPP scramble to find gains in the software and recovery systems, they face the daunting task of chasing a Red Bull package that Norris already considers to be a significant step ahead.