Mercedes explains why F1 customers can't match works team PU performance

Mercedes has moved to clarify why its customer teams cannot match the works squad's power unit performance, confirming that McLaren, Williams, and Alpine receive identical hardware. Deputy team principal Bradley Lord explained the gap comes from simulation toolsets developed jointly by the Mercedes Grand Prix chassis team and Mercedes HPP, which cannot be shared with customers under F1's IP rules.

Why it matters:

The explanation follows growing tension with McLaren, whose team principal Andrea Stella questioned throttle-lift techniques on straights that appeared exclusive to the works team. With Mercedes winning eight of the opening 11 grands prix to dominate both championships at the summer break, any perceived advantage is politically sensitive. The situation exposes a structural flaw in F1's customer-supplier model, where chassis-engine integration knowledge stays fenced off even when both sides run the same power unit.

The details:

• Lord said predictive tools created collaboratively between MGP and HPP count as chassis IP, blocking their transfer to customers under technical regulations.
• Stella noted earlier this season that information flow had not been "as anticipated," and raised eyebrows at Silverstone over strategies seemingly requiring elements unavailable to customer squads.
• Mercedes insists it provides "even-handed" support from Brixworth, but acknowledged the 2026 regulations introduced unprecedented complexity for all teams.
• Lord indicated customers must spend their own cost cap resources to develop internal toolsets needed to fully unlock the power unit.

What's next:

Heading into the second half of the season, McLaren and fellow customers must decide whether to divert limited cost cap budget toward proprietary simulation tools or accept a persistent optimization deficit. Resolving that dilemma could prove crucial to McLaren's bid to challenge Ferrari and erode Mercedes' commanding lead in both the Drivers' and Constructors' standings.