Mercedes has 468 constructors’ points after 13 rounds. Ferrari, second, has 346. That 122-point gap is the largest between first and second at this stage of a season since Red Bull’s 2023 walkover, and it has been built the same way: one team read a new set of regulations better than everyone else. In 2023 it was Red Bull’s floor. In 2026 it is Mercedes’ engine, and the evidence for that sits in the words of its rivals rather than in Mercedes’ own claims.

What the rivals are saying

Max Verstappen said he felt “like a turtle” on the Monza straights against the Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton called the Mercedes straight-line advantage “mind-blowing” and said Ferrari was “still behind on the straights” even after its upgraded engine arrived. Ferrari’s own engineers then admitted the team was “missing pure power”. Haas, a Ferrari customer, said the upgrade was “no game-changer”. When three separate teams describe the same deficit in the same terms, the diagnosis is not in doubt. Mercedes built the most efficient power unit under the 2026 rules, and efficiency is what the rules reward.

Why efficiency matters more than peak power

The 2026 power units split their output almost evenly between the V6 and the electrical MGU-K, and the electrical half depends on how much energy a car can harvest under braking and how efficiently it converts fuel into charge. A more efficient engine does two things at once. It produces more power from the same energy-limited fuel flow, and it fills the battery faster, which means the driver can deploy for longer on each straight before the car runs dry. That second effect is the one the drivers feel. A Mercedes arrives at the end of a long straight still deploying. A Red Bull arrives on combustion power alone. The gap at that moment can be 15km/h or more, and no amount of chassis work closes it.

The drivers

An engine advantage needs drivers who convert it, and Mercedes has two. Kimi Antonelli leads the championship on 267 points at 20 years old, with a Monza victory from 19th on the grid that Toto Wolff compared to walking on water. George Russell is second on 201 and has often been the quicker of the two on Saturdays. Between them they have scored in every round. The internal fight has produced the season’s most uncomfortable moments, including the Monza VSC call that handed Antonelli a win over his team-mate, but it has not cost the team points in the way Ferrari’s unmanaged pairing has cost Ferrari.

How the gap was built

Mercedes’ high-performance powertrains division at Brixworth has designed the benchmark engine at the start of every regulation cycle since 2014. The removal of the MGU-H for 2026 was expected to level that expertise. It did not, partly because the new formula’s emphasis on combustion efficiency and energy recovery played directly to the areas where Brixworth’s experience is deepest, and partly because Mercedes made its design choices early and committed. Rivals who hedged, or who were building an engine programme from scratch like Red Bull Powertrains, started behind and have stayed there.

Can it be caught?

The ADUO allowance exists precisely for this situation, and Ferrari has used two upgrade steps trying to close the gap. The second, at Monza, improved deployment and left the combustion deficit where it was. Reports that Mercedes has its own further upgrade in the pipeline suggest the gap may widen before the season ends. The realistic answer is that 2026 is Mercedes’ year, and the question that matters is whether the same expertise carries over into the 2027 reset, when every manufacturer gets to start again.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Mercedes dominating?

Its power unit is the most efficient under the new regulations, showing up as straight-line speed and longer deployment. The team led the constructors’ table by 122 points after 13 rounds.

How big is the points lead?

468 to Ferrari’s 346 after the Italian Grand Prix, with Mercedes drivers first and second.

Is it the engine or the chassis?

Mostly the engine. Red Bull and Ferrari have both located their deficits in straight-line power and efficiency.

Can other teams catch up?

Ferrari’s ADUO upgrades have not closed the gap, and Mercedes reportedly has a further step coming.