The Dutchman recently warned that he felt that would be the case under the new regulations, noting that there would be a “massive development war” between manufacturers.
However, McLaren and williamsThe two teams that, in theory, still have the option to choose which PUs they will use in 2026, refute that suggestion, both indicating that they have faith that the current supplier Mercedes it will have a strong package and that the chassis will still be important.
“We have a great partnership with Mercedes, so it’s pretty hard to imagine them not getting it right, regardless of where the final rules are laid out,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown said.
“And it’s always a combination, isn’t it, of driver, chassis and power unit to produce a competitive car. So I don’t think it’s any different, either this regulation or the next regulation or the regulation after that.”
James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing, at the team principals press conference
Photo by: FIA Pool
Williams team principal James Vowles agreed that one supplier could make a leap, as his former team Mercedes did when the current rules were introduced, but insisted it would even out soon.
“I think any power unit regulation change you can win or you can lose as a result of it. Mercedes did a very, very good job on the 2013/’14 changes, an example of that.
“Probably, if you look at the years before, there were power unit vendors that were slightly above, but they also settled in pretty quickly afterwards, well into a uniform formula.
“We have a great relationship with Mercedes and a long history behind it and they have been strong in the sport for 20 years. My take on things is that whoever you go with, you’ll forge your alliance, and I think that before long he’ll establish himself in a very sensible position.
“And it would be wrong to say that the chassis still doesn’t have a big impact because I keep thinking about the regulations, as stark as they are at the moment, there is a lot of potential to do better or worse than its competitors. ”
