🔧 Red Bull pulls back the curtain onthe power unit’s deficit to Mercedes 👀 Read full story here 👇

🔧 Red Bull pulls back the curtain onthe power unit’s deficit to Mercedes 👀

Give me news on the above
In a rare moment of transparency, Red Bull Racing has effectively confirmed a power unit deficit to Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, lifting the lid on one of the biggest technical talking points of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
⚡ The key revelation
Red Bull insiders, including team boss Laurent Mekies, have acknowledged that their new Red Bull–Ford power unit is still slightly behind Mercedes in outright performance. The gap is small—but in Formula 1, even a few tenths per lap can be decisive. �
The Race
The deficit is believed to be under 2% compared to Mercedes’ engine �
RacingNews365
That translates to mere tenths of a second per lap—but enough to impact qualifying and race pace
Crucially, Red Bull does not qualify for extra development advantages (ADUO), meaning closing the gap won’t be easy �
RacingNews365
🏁 Not all bad news for Red Bull
Despite trailing Mercedes, the mood inside Red Bull is far from negative.
Their in-house engine project—launched only recently with Ford Motor Company—has exceeded expectations massively, especially considering this is their first full independent power unit era. �
The Race
In fact:
The engine is already highly competitive from the start �
The Guardian
The feared “disaster scenario” of being far off the pace has been avoided
Engineers believe the remaining gap is fixable over time
Mekies even suggested that the “ghost” of being uncompetitive has disappeared, showing strong internal confidence.
🆚 Why Mercedes still leads
The 2026 regulations—featuring a 50/50 split between electric and combustion power—have reshuffled the grid. �
Le Monde.fr
And right now:
Mercedes appears to have nailed the hybrid efficiency early
Their power delivery and energy deployment are more refined
Rivals, including Red Bull and Ferrari, are still optimizing balance and deployment strategies
This early advantage is exactly why Mercedes is seen as the benchmark in the new era.
⚠️ The bigger twist: it’s not just the engine
Interestingly, Red Bull’s performance issues aren’t solely down to the power unit.
Reports indicate:
The RB22 chassis and balance problems are a bigger concern
Instability, understeer, and weight issues are hurting overall performance more than engine power �
RacingNews365
So while Mercedes may have the edge in engine performance, Red Bull’s real fight is combining engine + chassis into a complete package.
🔮 What happens next?
Red Bull has already hinted that:
Major upgrades won’t come immediately due to engine allocation limits
Improvements will likely arrive later in the season
A bigger reset could come in 2027 when development windows open further �
The Race
🏆 Final takeaway
Red Bull “pulling back the curtain” confirms what many suspected:
👉 Mercedes currently has the strongest power unit in F1 2026
👉 Red Bull is close—but not quite there yet
However, the gap is small, the confidence is high, and if Red Bull solves its chassis issues, this battle could quickly turn into a full-blown title war.