Rumoured Audi F1 2026 engine details as huge Mercedes power deficit emerges
An overhead view of the Audi F1 showcar
The new Audi F1 engine for the F1 2026 season could be up to 31bhp down on the Mercedes power unit, it has been claimed.
Audi F1 will make its long-awaited Formula 1 debut in F1 2026 as the German manufacturer rebrands the existing Sauber team, having completed its 100 per cent takeover of the Swiss-based squad at the start of this year.
Audi F1 2026 engine lagging behind Mercedes?
Audi will be one of five engine manufacturers represented in F1 next season along with Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and fellow newcomers Red Bull Powertrains-Ford.
The F1 regulations will be overhauled at the start of next season as the sport embraces 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics with chassis and engine rules changing simultaneously.
Rumours have persisted for some time that Mercedes’ preparations for the new rules are significantly more advanced than its rivals.
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The Brackley team previously emerged as F1’s dominant force following the last major engine rule changes in 2014, winning a record eight consecutive constrictors’ titles and seven straight drivers’ championships split between Lewis Hamilton (2014-15 and 2017-20) and Nico Rosberg (2016).
And a report has claimed that Audi’s new power unit could be more than 30 brake horsepower behind Mercedes.
The Italian edition of Motorsport.com has suggested that Mercedes has achieved figures of 420 kilowatts (571bhp) with its 2026 engine.
In comparison, Audi has ‘broken through the 400kW barrier’ with its internal combustion engine said to be operating at between 540-550bhp – a deficit of around 21-31bhp to Mercedes.
To put those numbers into context, an FIA analysis of the current power units in 2023 found the Renault engine – widely agreed to be the weakest in F1 today – to be 20-33bhp behind the frontrunners.
Although the figures relating to Audi’s power shortfall are to be taken with a pinch of salt at this stage, the report adds that the rumours originate ‘from those who are sniffing the air’ during the manufacturers’ ongoing preparations – including engine dyno tests – for 2026.
The high number of engineers switching between rival manufacturers has also resulted in a spread of information over how each engine maker is shaping up ahead of next season.
Jonathan Wheatley, the Sauber team principal, recently offered an update on Audi’s progress with its new engine.
Speaking at last month’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Wheatley confirmed that Audi’s dyno program is “on schedule” with the manufacturer’s current focus on reliability ahead of pairing the engine and chassis for the first time in December.
The former Red Bull sporting director went on to add that “it’s a little bit too early to talk about performance”, insisting that the reality of where Audi F1 stands will not become clear until the start of next season.
As reported by PlanetF1.com on Wednesday, Audi’s engine program is expected to be boosted in due course with the arrivals of Wolf Zimmermann and Lars Schmidt from Ferrari.
Zimmermann, Ferrari’s head of ICE research and development, and his deputy Schmidt are likely to join Audi when their work on the Scuderia’s 2026 engine is complete.
A move to Audi would see the pair reunited with former Ferrari team principal and renowned engine guru Mattia Binotto, who was appointed to the dual role of chief operating and technical officer of the Audi F1 project last year.
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A report in Italy claimed earlier this week that Ferrari has a ‘revolutionary’ and ‘top secret’ intake system in development for 2026 after a ‘highly innovative’ steel cylinder head proposed by Zimmermann was ‘abandoned’ on reliability grounds.
It was said that Ferrari is currently playing catch up to Mercedes with Honda ‘not far behind’ too.
Little is known about the progress of the Red Bull Powertrains-Ford engine.
However, Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, recently conceded that it would be “silly” to expect the team’s new power unit to rival the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari from the start of 2026.
Mekies’ comments came after his predecessor, Christian Horner, claimed it would be “embarrassing” for the established engine manufacturers if RBPT-Ford produces a more powerful engine for next season.
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, potentially offered a clue to the team’s 2026 advantage during the F1 2025 summer break, estimating that top speeds of around 400 kilometres per hour (248.5mph) could be possible at full power next season.
In addition to engine power, the eye-watering top speeds are expected to be made achievable by the new active aerodynamics, which will allow cars to shift between high and low downforce configurations over the course of a lap.
It is unknown at this stage if any of Mercedes’ rivals have found such extreme top-speed predictions during their own simulations.
An alarming report in April claimed that all but one engine manufacturer – believed to be Mercedes – has experienced serious trouble with the development of their new engines for F1 2026.
Two unnamed manufacturers were thought to be ‘a long way behind’ the clear pacesetters, with another struggling with an uncompetitive engine having opted for a different form of biofuel compared to its rivals, which have all elected for synthetic fuel.
The FIA appeared to confirm last week that at least one manufacturer is struggling with the technical demands of the 2026 rules with the introduction of a new safety-net scheme set to give those lagging behind a better opportunity to catch up.
The Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) initiative will include additional possibilities regarding a change of homologation of the power unit, a relief to the cost cap applicable to the power unit manufacturer and/or additional development hours on the PU test benches.
Separately, measures will also be made available to provide a cost cap relief to a power unit manufacturer facing serious reliability issues, which, in the early days of a power unit cost cap, could be very damaging as these manufacturers attempt to rectify their issues.
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