Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes in F1 symbolically closes the most successful period of a driver within a single team. The milestones achieved by the seven-time world champion and the Silver Arrows will be difficult to replicate, as they resulted from one of the longest-lasting professional partnerships in the sport’s top tier. Over recent seasons, the pillars that enabled Mercedes’ dominance in the hybrid era have progressively left the Brackley-based team, with many key figures of the dream team stepping aside.
Among those who dominated F1, only Toto Wolff remains in a leadership role. The Austrian manager has faced several tough seasons in which his team has been unable to contend for championship titles. This decline is due to their inability to create winning technical projects since the return of ground-effect cars. The recently concluded season brought some satisfaction, thanks to four wins by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, but overall, the W15 only performed well under favorable weather conditions.
The Vienna-born team principal is now tasked with the monumental challenge of restoring the team to its former glory by leveraging the talent in Brackley and Brixworth while, for the first time since Mercedes’ return to F1, relying on drivers who have never won a world championship. From 2010 to 2012, Michael Schumacher was at the wheel of the Mercedes, succeeded by Hamilton, who already had one world title under his belt. The winning cycle that began in 2014 and ended on the controversial night in Abu Dhabi in 2021 was fueled by one key factor.
This was the significant technical advantage of the turbo-hybrid power units, which allowed the German team to dominate for several seasons. On the eve of a new engine regulation overhaul, rumors suggest Mercedes is laying the groundwork for a new era of technical dominance starting in the 2026 season. This is a tangible possibility since, unlike the design of the aerodynamic aspects of the cars, all Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have been working on the next-generation turbo-hybrid units for some time.
This refers to areas where engine manufacturers can realistically gain a technical advantage capable of outclassing competitors. Assuming the team’s goal is to enter 2026 with the best power unit in F1, their performance over the last three seasons mirrors Mercedes’ trajectory from 2010 to 2013, when 2.4-liter V8 engines were still in use, and their on-track results fell short of expectations.
F1, Mercedes: similarities with pre-dominance seasons
From 2010 to 2013, Mercedes secured only four victories, a record similar to their achievements under the current regulations, which began in 2022. Then, as now, Mercedes struggled to create a winning technical project. However, the turbo-hybrid revolution convinced the German manufacturer’s top management to acquire the reigning championship-winning team (BrawnGP). It’s worth recalling that the transition from naturally aspirated engines to turbo-hybrid units was initially scheduled for the 2013 season.
However, following the Monaco Grand Prix in 2010, the FIA announced major regulatory changes during the World Motor Sport Council meeting. Among these was the approval of a new generation of power units starting from the 2013 season, with an architecture similar to the current engines. Mercedes had already been working on this architecture for some time and accepted the decision not to excel until the 2014 season. The FIA was looking to attract new participants to the sport and decided to make significant adjustments to the technical regulations, providing new opportunities even for existing manufacturers.
For Toto Wolff, this could be a chance to replicate the performance leap seen with the introduction of the first-generation turbo-hybrid power units. If this were the case, Mercedes’ 2025 season might become yet another year of sacrifice in anticipation of returning to a leading role. At least, this could be the emerging scenario.
Most likely, this is the only path to ensure the German giant’s continued presence in F1 for many years. Unlike Ferrari, Mercedes needs some form of economic return. The Constructors’ Championship victory by McLaren, a customer team powered by Brixworth-developed units, has already been perceived as an embarrassment by the Stuttgart board of directors. Additionally, it filled Woking’s coffers—a situation Mercedes cannot and will not allow to happen again. This is the objective.
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