(Motorsport-Total.com) – For weeks there has been speculation about how strong Mercedes would really be. Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix has now provided customer team McLaren with the much-needed clues as to where they are still lagging behind compared to the new dominance of Formula 1.
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As expected, Mercedes secured the front row. George Russell took pole position with a three-tenths of a second lead over his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli – and, even more significantly, with around eight-tenths lead over the competition from Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.
In the paddock, it had already been assumed that Mercedes would set off fireworks at the start of the 2026 era. But until the Silver Arrows really revealed their hand, it was hard to grasp exactly how they would do it and how great the damage would be for the rest of the field.
Since all cars were out with low fuel and the most aggressive engine mappings in qualifying on Saturday, it offered a real goldmine of information for the customer team McLaren. It was now possible to see exactly where the works team makes the difference with the exact same power unit.
“As you can imagine, that was one of the key points of our debrief: understanding how to make the most of these power units,” explains team principal Andrea Stella.
“In itself, that is partly good news. It means that there is still a lot of lap time lying dormant – provided that the driver gives the right input and the control systems are programmed perfectly.”
Stella continues: “We analyzed what was different about Russell’s lap. I think we have a good understanding now. We needed this one qualifying session under identical conditions and with the same power unit to have a reference for what is even possible. It has nothing to do with the hardware. It’s about understanding the hardware and finding the best way to push it to its limits.”
The secret lies between Turn 6 and 9
A look at the GPS data comparing Russell and the McLarens of Oscar Piastri (P5) and Lando Norris (P6) reveals something astonishing: Russell has a far superior energy deployment on the full-throttle section between Turn 6 and 9.
This winding passage is almost a blemish under the new regulations, as drivers usually have to downshift there as soon as the electrical energy runs out. Russell, on the other hand, was able to maintain his speed much more effectively – at times he was over 20 km/h faster than the McLarens – before lifting off before Turn 9 and focusing on accelerating out.
The fact that Mercedes is so much faster on the straights between Turns 6 and 9 is no coincidence, however, even if it brings over three-tenths of a second on its own. It is rather the result of what happens earlier in the lap at Albert Park.
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Russell somehow manages to get his battery into an optimal state of charge by Turn 6 while still being faster than the competition in the first corner combinations.
According to Stella, that’s where Mercedes’ real advantage lies – and it’s not just limited to the engine.
“We are definitely entering a new era of Formula 1 where these factors become essential: How sensitive is the driver with their input? How do you manage the energy on the previous straight to have maximum power on the following one – especially if it’s long?”
“It’s also true that Mercedes is fast in the corners, not just on the straights. In some corners we can keep up, but overall they are faster in the crucial sections. So at the moment, Mercedes is not only doing a better job of using the power unit, but they are also ahead in terms of overall grip in the corners. I guess that’s due to the downforce level.”
Two areas of focus for McLaren
For McLaren, this results in two clear goals: “On the one hand, we are working closely with our partners at Mercedes HPP to squeeze more performance out of the engine. At the same time, however, we have to improve the aerodynamics because we also need to be faster in the corners.”
Interestingly, Stella noticed another effect: “We see that whenever we maximize the power unit, somehow everything works better and you also get faster in the corners. This could also be related to the fact that the tires were working at the lower end of the grip window due to the cool temperatures.”
McLaren and probably Ferrari as well seemed to lose performance the colder it got. “We observed: whenever we get more out of the engine, we also seem to gain in the corners. But that could be due to the cold conditions.”
If Stella’s theory is correct, Mercedes’ advantage is more multi-layered than just a better understanding of energy deployment. That would be a truly frightening prospect for the competition for the Brackley-based team.
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