Aditya ChaudhuriFormula One team McLaren Racing have extended their partnership with Mercedes, which will see them continue to use Mercedes Power Units (PUs) until 2030.
Mercedes first supplied PUs to McLaren Racing between 1995 and 2014, resuming it ahead of the 2021 Formula One season.
From the 2026 season onwards, there will be new PU regulations coming into play which will be focused on electrical power. The new PUs will run on 100% sustainable fuel and the electrical systems will have a single 350-kilowatt electric motor — almost three times as powerful as the MGU-K.
With this announcement, McLaren become the first confirmed team to use Mercedes PUs going into the new regulations era come 2026.
Markus Schaefer, Chief Technology Officer and Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, commented:
“We are delighted to continue our partnership with McLaren Racing to at least the end of this decade. The long-term nature of this agreement reflects our shared trust and commitment to our future power unit strategy. Together, we look forward to building momentum towards 2026 and the beginning of another new era of an electrified innovative power unit design in Formula 1.“
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, said:
“It has been a cornerstone of our motorsport strategy to work with strong customer teams. This has many advantages: it gives a clear competitive benchmark, accelerates our technical learning, and strengthens the overall F1 business case for Mercedes-Benz. McLaren have been fierce and fair competitors since 2021, especially in the second half of this season. McLaren’s strong performances underline the importance of transparent and equal supply to all customer teams in the sport, if we wish to achieve the goal of 10 teams capable of fighting for podium finishes.“
Hywel Thomas, Managing Director, Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, said:
“The team at HPP enjoys a long and successful history with McLaren, and we’re delighted to confirm the extension of the relationship into the new regulation cycle. Securing this agreement now, with two full seasons until we race the 2026 power unit, gives us a great opportunity to optimise our combined efforts for lap time. We are looking forward to renewing our relationship and working together towards that goal.“
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, added:
“Mercedes-Benz have been a brilliant and reliable partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team. The extension signifies the confidence that our shareholders and the wider team have in their powertrains and the direction we’re taking with them into the new era of regulations ahead. We have been successful together, both in the last three seasons and when they previously powered the team, so we look forward to the success to come as we continue our journey to fight consistently at the front of the grid.“
Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, stated:
“We are pleased to confirm a long-term renewal of our power unit deal with Mercedes-Benz into the new era of regulations. We have great confidence in Mercedes and our relationship with them. They’ve supported our journey back to the front of the grid so far, and the security and stability this partnership brings is vital in ensuring we remain on this upward trajectory. I would like to thank them for their collaboration so far and we look forward to the years to come.“
