Mercedes Celebrates Dominant Turbo-Hybrid Era with Historic Engine Display

Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) has marked the end of Formula 1's turbo-hybrid era by showcasing its championship-winning power units at its Brixworth headquarters. The team held a special event for staff, featuring a demonstration run of its first and most recent cars from the era—the 2014 W05 and the current W16—to celebrate an unprecedented period of dominance in engine development.

Why it matters:

The event serves as a symbolic closing chapter for a power unit that defined a generation of F1. Mercedes' success with its turbo-hybrid engine, which powered the team to eight consecutive Constructors' titles and became the benchmark for rivals, fundamentally shaped the competitive landscape for over a decade. As the sport prepares for a major regulatory shift in 2026, this celebration highlights the engineering legacy that new rules aim to challenge.

The Details:

• The display featured 12 different power units from the 2014-2025 era, placed alongside the team's cars outdoors at the Brixworth facility.
• Reserve driver Frederik Vesti performed demonstration runs in the W05 and W16, providing a rare auditory and visual spectacle for the HPP staff.
• The statistics underscore the unit's dominance: 140 wins and 150 pole positions from 252 races, resulting in a 56% win rate over 12 seasons.
• The power unit's success extended beyond the works team, helping customer squads like McLaren achieve recent victories and contributing to Mercedes-powered teams securing the top four spots in the 2014 Constructors' Championship.

What's next:

The celebration was a brief pause before the intense final push for the 2026 season. Mercedes HPP Managing Director Hywel Thomas confirmed the team is now fully focused on the next generation of power units, which will feature a greater emphasis on electrical energy.

• The new 2026-spec power unit is scheduled for its first on-track test in Barcelona in just a few weeks, marking a critical milestone in its development.
• This transition represents the most significant technical reset since 2014, with Mercedes aiming to transfer its proven expertise into a new set of regulations and maintain its competitive edge for the next era.