Mercedes technical director James Allison expects F1 cars to lose a significant amount of downforce at the start of the 2027 season as the FIA revises the chassis and aerodynamic rules introduced this year.
The changes include a shallower rear wing and tighter restrictions on the design of the front of the floor.
The FIA has also outlawed the small wings teams have used around the exhaust to generate extra downforce at the rear of the car.
When host Anthony Davidson suggested on Mercedes' Nu Silver Arrows Podcast that the cars would lose a bit of downforce, Allison gave a stronger assessment.
"I think more than a bit," Allison explained. "They've had a good go at trying to pull the downforce back to the start of the 2026 era.
"And it will be interesting to see whether the teams lie down and take that or whether we recover it all or not. And the PUs, the changes there are not as small as maybe they're advertised."
[Article continues below]
'Far more than a tweak...'
The revised hybrid rules will shift the nominal split between combustion and electric power from 53:47 to 58:42 in 2027, with a further move to 60:40 planned for 2028.
Next season's rules raise the fuel energy flow limit by five per cent and cap standard electrical deployment at 300 kW. The FIA wants drivers to be able to spend more of a qualifying lap at full throttle.
Asked about the scale of the power unit changes, Allison replied, "[It is] far more than a tweak. It's quite a big change."
Mercedes secured their first title double since 2020 when they clinched the constructors' championship in São Paulo with three rounds to spare, a week after Kimi Antonelli won the drivers' title in Mexico.
Davidson put it to Allison that rivals had closed in on Mercedes, estimating the team's early-season advantage at eight and a half tenths of a second.
"Oh, I don't think you allow others to catch," he responded. "You can put whatever narrative you like on it, but I think that we started the season super duper strong and we did so for several reasons.
"I think we were better prepared than many others. I think we had a better handle on the energy management at the start of the year."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Samuel Coop and Nick Golding as they look back on the São Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil! Max Verstappen’s simply staggering recovery from 21st on the grid is a key talking point, as is Ferrari’s current power unit struggles.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Most read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!