Kimi Antonelli admits a return to 2014 dominance would be his “dream” for Mercedes in 2026.
New Formula 1 power unit regulations for this year mean the Brackley-based team are many people’s favourite for the championship.
This comes from Mercedes’ incredible run of eight consecutive Constructors’ titles after the original hybrid engine rules began in 2014.
And speaking about his ambitions for the upcoming year, Antonelli made no secret of hoping history can repeat itself.
“I mean, hopefully it would be like 2014, that will be the dream,” the Italian was quoted by PlanetF1.
“You never know. I think these are even bigger regulation changes than 2014 because, also on the chassis side, aerodynamic side, everything is changing.
“I have full trust in Mercedes, in the work they’ve been doing.”
Mercedes has already irked their 2026 rivals with reports that the German manufacturer has found a performance loophole in the regulations.
And Antonelli acknowledged he is excited by what he’s seen in Brackley.
“I’ve been spending quite a lot of time at the factory, seeing the progress in the wind tunnel, also going to HPP [High Performance Powertrains], seeing the progress on the dyno,” he explained.
“So definitely, it looks promising, but we don’t know what the others are doing.
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“I think the most important [thing] for the first test in Barcelona, [is] having a reliable car, being able to put the laps in, and then make the most learning.
“Then, about the real performance, I guess we will see in Melbourne.
“But of course, looking at what they did in the past, I will love… I mean, it would be a dream to get the same scenario and be able to fight for a World Championship.”
While Antonelli might get his title bid wish, team boss Toto Wolff has downplayed suggestions Mercedes will repeat its 2014 dominance.
“Landing in 2014, I kind of had [a good] feeling already in the winter when we were the first ones running a full car dyno,” he recalled, quoted by Motorsport.com.
“The engine was more reliable than it seemed with the other people. And obviously, on day one testing, nobody did some laps; we did. The same on day two.
“But, it’s not comparable, I would say,” Wolff added on preparations for 2026.
“Also, the grid is just much more competitive than it was in previous years.
“It’s super difficult to predict, because we set ourselves targets that we are on track to meet.
“But whether those targets were set ambitious enough and whether those targets have been set in the right place in terms of priorities, only the future will show.”
