Mercedes engine trick surprises McLaren at Silverstone
Kimi Antonelli's stunning British GP pole was powered by a revived Mercedes engine trick that left customer team McLaren completely in the dark.
The Mercedes engine trick surprises McLaren story is one of the biggest talking points to come out of British Grand Prix qualifying at Silverstone. Kimi Antonelli took a brilliant pole position, and a key part of that success was a clever, legal engine method that his own customer team had no idea was coming.
What is the Mercedes engine trick that surprises McLaren?
The Race revealed on Saturday at Silverstone that Mercedes had found a legal way to revive the benefits of an engine trick that had been banned by the FIA earlier this year. It sounds strange, but the method actually works against instinct.
It is achieved through drivers Antonelli and George Russell bizarrely lifting off the throttle just before they cross the timing line on the start/finish straight. It is all about ensuring Mercedes’ drivers maximise power on the run to the line and avoid being in the ramp down rate, where power normally needs to be reduced by 50kW every second.
The tactic is very similar in concept to what Mercedes was doing at the beginning of the year when it achieved the same gains through a more technically complicated route, which the FIA swiftly clamped down on for safety reasons.
Antonelli himself described how it felt to learn the trick. He said that with this power unit, you need to sometimes drive in a certain way that feels a bit unnatural, sometimes going on throttle later so that in high-speed you carry more speed. You then go on throttle later, lose a little bit on exit, but regain it because by delaying your throttle point you get more energy a bit later into the straight as well.
You can read more about the energy management challenge at Silverstone in our dedicated piece on why Silverstone is the toughest test yet for 2026 F1 cars.
Mercedes engine trick surprises McLaren: what the team bosses said
The whole paddock was surprised by the revival of the tricks Mercedes has deployed at Silverstone, including its own customer team McLaren. That is a significant detail. McLaren uses a Mercedes power unit, but clearly does not always get the same information at the same time.
Oscar Piastri said “I didn’t even know they did it, which probably says a lot” when asked about the trick after qualifying.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said it “kind of surprised us a little bit, because it’s not something that we discussed.” He added that he was not sure it is even available to McLaren yet, as it probably requires some further elements to use the power unit. He confirmed that conversations are ongoing with Mercedes HPP at a technical level to make sure McLaren uses what is available.
This gap between works and customer specification is a real issue for McLaren right now, and the timing could not be worse in the championship fight.
Norris admits McLaren are “in a pickle”
Lando Norris described his McLaren team as being “in a pickle” when it comes to pace after qualifying sixth for the British Grand Prix. The reigning world champion went into Saturday’s session buoyed by an unexpected third-place finish in the sprint, but could only qualify 0.766 seconds behind polesitter Kimi Antonelli.
Norris explained: “I thought we improved the car in some areas, but we need to understand, like, we’re just slow in the straight, we’re slow in every corner. It’s just that the car is not very efficient. We lack downforce and we have too much drag.”
Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren will start two places behind Norris in eighth. The Australian agreed with his team mate that qualifying had been a difficult session. When asked where the team was lacking pace, he said simply “Everywhere.” He added: “Just incredibly tough. We thought we made some decent improvements to the car, but I don’t know if we just struggled a lot more in these windier conditions.”
You can also check our full report on Antonelli’s pole and Russell’s Q1 crash for the complete qualifying picture. There was also a separate FIA investigation involving Piastri at the British GP that added to McLaren’s difficult Saturday.
Antonelli’s pole and the championship picture
The result extended Mercedes’ unbeaten streak in grand prix qualifying this season, with Antonelli sealing his fifth pole of 2026, and a ninth for the Silver Arrows.
Though Lewis Hamilton had managed to upstage Antonelli in sprint qualifying on Friday, Ferrari went into the final runs of Q3 two tenths of a second off the two Mercedes ahead. Antonelli raised the bar with his final lap, and though Charles Leclerc and Hamilton improved too, they had to settle for second and third, 0.175s and 0.347s respectively off pole.
For McLaren, the challenge ahead of the race is serious. Lando Norris sounded frustrated in interviews on Saturday, and his nearly eight-tenths deficit to the pole time in sixth makes his third in the sprint race look even more extraordinary.
What does this mean for McLaren going forward?
The Mercedes engine trick surprises McLaren story raises bigger questions about the works-versus-customer relationship in F1. Right now, McLaren simply cannot access what Antonelli is using. That is a competitive gap that goes beyond aerodynamics or set-up.
Norris and McLaren will need answers quickly. The British GP is his home race, and the championship battle is very real. Norris said the team’s aim for Sunday would be to beat the Red Bulls, adding: “I think to beat the cars that are seven-tenths quicker, both the Ferrari and the Mercedes, it’s just a bit stupid.”
It is a humbling moment for the reigning constructors’ champions. You can follow all the action from Silverstone and read the official Mercedes and McLaren team updates at Formula1.com and via The Race’s technical breakdown.
