Max Verstappen reportedly inclined towards joining Mercedes over rumored ‘best power unit’ for 2026

According to formulapassion.it, Max Verstappen was spotted siding with the German carmaker’s engine from the 2026 season at the Emilia Romagna GP. The reason for this could be that Mercedes’ Formula E team had already won multiple races. Hence, the 2026 season’s regulations which will see more electrical component additions to the power unit could be greatly favored for Brackley.

James Allison revealed a massive shove in Mercedes’ High Performance Powertrains

Mercedes crew in the power unit development have been constantly working since the failure of the ground-effect era to improve performance. Hence, it is not shocking to witness the German carmaker investing a lot of funds into the power unit development.

Mercedes’ Technical director James Allison revealed that Brackley was investing a lot in the Mercedes’ HPP (High Performance Powertrains). The effect of this could be seen in the upcoming regulation changes in 2026.

There is a massive shove going on in HPP [Mercedes High Performance Powertrains] to make a success of that because it will set the course of anyone who’s lucky enough to have that in the back of their car for some seasons to come. James Allison said, as reported by Sky Sports.

As a result, Mercedes could dethrone Max Verstappen earliest by 2026 after a successful campaign then. Allison added that the team was lucky to be on the receiving end of such promising upgrades to the team. Hence, Brackley’s good investment plans will propel the team’s performance in the pinnacle of motorsport in the coming seasons.

We’re lucky that we will be on the receiving end of all the good investment they are making on our joint behalf. James Allison noted.

Mercedes has currently been performing extremely poorly in the ground-effect era. Max Verstappen’s highly dominant performance eliminated competition from Brackley ever since the regulation started. Hence, the 2026 season onwards would be highly exciting to witness what changes in the current pecking order of the teams. Apart from this, Ferrari and McLaren have also been showcasing extremely promising prospects.