Williams boss James Vowles believes the slower pace on the straights brought on by the new regulations will lead to better racing in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The impending reset will bring an overhaul to the power units, removing the MGU-H to revert to a conventional turbocharged internal combustion engine, paired with an MGU-K, which will generate more electrical power.
With this change has come criticism. Many people are worried that it will result in drivers having to lift off on the straights, thereby reducing the speed of the cars.
But Vowles remains optimistic that while the regulations will prompt the next-generation cars to be slower than their predecessors, it could lead to improved racing.
“Will there be slowing? Yes. Will I think it’d be a bad thing? No, because I think there’s quite an interesting dynamic and overtaking you start getting next year,” Vowles told media including Motorsport Week.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, whose team will supply Williams, along with Alpine and McLaren, chimed in, giving his support for the 2026 engines.
“Everybody’s talking those engines down, so I had to figure out is there anything positive?”, he quipped.
“And that is – obviously it sounds sarcastic – but if you were to deploy all the energy on a single straight, you could make those cars go 400 kilometres an hour.
“I don’t know if somebody got afraid by it, but you could. But there wouldn’t be much electric energy left for the few other corners on a circuit.”
Williams banking on Mercedes to produce competitive engine
For the majority of the current V6 turbo-hybrid era, Mercedes has been the benchmark when it comes to outright engine performance and reliability.
Vowles praised the way Mercedes has worked in the past, with hopes for 2026 high.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working for Mercedes and with Mercedes for over 20 years now, from the engine production side for 15 of that. They are really good at thinking through the problems that you [will] encounter in the following year and getting ahead of the programme,” He said. “That’s what I’m seeing at the moment.
“They’ve been really good. Even the simulator sessions that we’re doing – our simulator isn’t just focused on this year. It is really focused on next year as well – and we’re just working through problems already.
“That doesn’t mean that you’re ahead of everyone else. It just means you’ve done good preparation.”
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