ANALYSIS – The incredible data that shows how Mercedes is hiding: the W17 is the strongest… with reduced power!
Mercedes continues to dominate Formula 1, and even in its second weekend, the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix… the trend seems confirmed. After pole in the Sprint and victory in Saturday’s race with George Russell, the Silver Arrows also secured the front row for Sunday’s race, with Kimi Antonelli ahead of his teammate. Then Ferrari immediately behind, ready to chase (but at a safe distance).
But attention, because among the buildings of Shanghai there is not only excitement for Kimi’s first pole. There is also a leaked technical detail that is literally frightening: Mercedes would still be working with power margins that are not fully expressed, despite already having the most powerful engine.
What is the real advantage of the Mercedes PU?
The strength of the Brixworth power unit emerges mainly in energy management: the recovery system allows a more efficient power distribution compared to rivals, while the software that manages the hybrid system currently appears to be among the most advanced on the grid (even though Ferrari’s software also appears very strong).
Yes, all the public debates about compression ratio shifted attention only to the power unit: however, Mercedes also has a very well-built car.
The real surprise, though, can be seen in technical analysis: according to what has circulated in the paddock, Mercedes is not yet using the maximum available mapping of its power unit.
Not only that: Motorsport.com Italy reports an incredible detail regarding what is jokingly called the “engine dial.” The car would in fact be running at a power level of 3.5 out of 5 total “steps”: in practice, slightly above half of the maximum power of the British “rocket.”
Mercedes is hiding: is reliability behind the decision?
If at this point you feel “worried” about what you read… not everything is linked to a tactical choice to hide true potential: in pre-season testing some reliability issues had emerged, and the team may have decided not to push at full power to guarantee the technical package’s solidity.
Not only that: today Russell also got stuck in first gear in Q3, but managed to restart and secure a very complicated second position given how things had unfolded.
Despite these setbacks, the combination of current superiority and conservative management is still allowing Mercedes to stay at the top without needing to express 100% of performance, especially considering the impressive straight-line speed.
ADUO: the question in Toto Wolff’s mind?
The paddock is asking only one thing: if this is the level with a cautious mapping, what will happen when the team decides to use all the available potential?
However, the impression is that Mercedes might decide to do so only if Ferrari or McLaren come close to Russell and Antonelli. Otherwise, a tight championship battle with rivals would allow this “secret” advantage of the Wolff team to be maintained, effectively nullifying ADUO, a new mechanism similar to WEC’s BoP.
