Ferrari’s attempt to close its power-unit deficit to Mercedes ahead of 2027 could face an even bigger obstacle. A new rumour suggests that Mercedes still has considerable engine performance in reserve and may not reveal its full potential during the 2026 season, while Ferrari prepares a completely different power-unit architecture for next year.
Ferrari began the season with a fairly substantial engine disadvantage. There were suggestions of a deficit of more than 30 horsepower, which placed Ferrari within the 4–6% concession range under the ADUO system. The two Maranello upgrades arrived in Austria and Monza, bringing improvements in efficiency and changes to the turbocharger that reportedly allowed Ferrari to recover around 20 horsepower. The wider competitive picture can also be followed through Ferrari’s comparison with its Formula 1 rivals.
For 2027, Ferrari intends to introduce a power-unit architecture completely different from the current design. The crucial question is whether that will be enough to match Mercedes. The latest rumour, if confirmed, could make the scale of Ferrari’s challenge considerably greater for the seasons ahead.
Does the Mercedes engine still have more power to unlock?
According to information discussed during a live broadcast by AutoRacer.it, a source described as highly reliable claimed that the Mercedes engine still has plenty more to offer. That additional potential is not expected to be shown during 2026, with Mercedes therefore said to be very confident heading into 2027.
For Ferrari to close the gap to Mercedes in 2027, an exceptional development effort would be required. Even next season, however, the Mercedes power unit is expected to remain the benchmark. Another factor to consider is the new turbocharger that is due to arrive.
After resolving some reliability problems, Mercedes also appears to have unlocked additional power during the most recent races. The strength of the overall Mercedes package has already been evident during 2026, with further context on the performance of the Mercedes W17.
If this scenario were confirmed, it could point towards Mercedes maintaining a significant advantage for years to come. The FIA, after all, is no stranger to backing the Brackley-based team. Follow the engine developments.
Ferrari’s 2027 power unit faces a major challenge
Ferrari also has responsibility for the limitations of its current engine. The Zimmermann project failed to deliver as hoped, while the solution developed by Enrico Gualtieri and his engineers proved reliable but lacked outright power. The situation bears similarities to what happened at the beginning of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014.
Ferrari also got its power-unit concept wrong on that occasion, while Mercedes was effectively helped by secret testing in 2013 and subsequently maintained its power-unit advantage until 2018, when Ferrari was finally able to match the German manufacturer with its own engine.
Building an entirely new architecture and having another two ADUO tokens available in 2027 may therefore still not be enough. Mercedes itself also has access to concessions under the FIA programme, as Red Bull is considered to have the strongest internal-combustion engine.
That leaves Ferrari facing an enormous technical task. The power unit is only one part of Ferrari’s wider 2027 technical challenge, but if Mercedes genuinely has substantial performance still in reserve, Maranello could once again find itself trying to overcome a prolonged Mercedes advantage.
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