Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft went down memory lane to bring up what former McLaren boss Ron Dennis said about winning championships — that customer teams don’t win them. Currently, McLaren is a customer for Mercedes’ power units, and highlighting Dennis’ words, Croft advises the Woking-based outfit to cut the cord.
In 2026, F1 enters a new era with engine-centric regulation changes set to shake up the grid. On that front, McLaren won’t have any control over how the Mercedes power units would be performance-wise.
“They’re not making their own engine”, Croft said in an interview with Fox Sports Australia. “And it’s going to be an engine formula from 2026 onwards. So if Mercedes had done a great job, brilliant, then they’re in the ballpark still. But they’re reliant on other people on that one.”
We’ve agreed a new long-term power unit agreement with Mercedes-Benz.
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— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 24, 2023
McLaren currently has no plans for its own powertrains department, in contrast to Red Bull, who have laid out an extensive roadmap for developing their engines starting in 2026. The Milton Keynes-based team has partnered with Ford and launched ‘Red Bull Powertrains’ to reduce reliance on external engine suppliers.
Besides Red Bull-Ford, Audi will also be producing its own engines from 2026, increasing the options available for customer teams.
However, Mercedes is renowned for its strong and reliable power units, which much of the grid — including McLaren — might continue to rely on given their proven performance, despite Croft’s recommendation.
Is there a reason for McLaren to worry about Mercedes?
When the turbo-hybrid era kicked off in 2014, Mercedes brought in a power unit that helped them dominate F1 for the next eight years. After the ground effect regulation changes made F1 more ‘aerodynamically challenging’ in 2022, they entered a slump. But even in that slump, engine reliability and performance was never Mercedes’ biggest issue.
The trust customer teams have in Mercedes’ engine program remains strong. Alpine, who are letting go of Renault’s F1 powertrains team, is also looking to use the Silver Arrows’ power units from 2026 onwards.
Unless Mercedes have a disastrous transition into the new era of F1, Alpine, or even McLaren for that matter, won’t have a lot to worry about.
