James Vowles admits Williams might terminate Mercedes engine deal

Every team will be assessing their power unit plans for when the regulations change ahead of the 2026 season.

Williams are one of the most iconic and historic teams in Formula 1 but their success in recent seasons has been severally limited.

For a number of years, the team have been stuck fighting at the back of the grid, with the financial backing of the team not being comparable to the other giant teams in the sport.

Williams have also enjoyed a positive relationship with Mercedes over the past decade, with both teams benefitting from the partnership.

Mercedes supply Williams with their engines and various other car parts and in return have signed both Valtteri Bottas and George Russell from the team.

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Williams’ new team principal James Vowles spent over a decade serving as Mercedes’ strategic director but has revealed that his new employers will be evaluating their power unit situation this year.

The power unit regulations will change ahead of the 2026 season and while Vowles has claimed that Williams are happy with their partnership with Mercedes, he had admitted that they will evaluate their options before committing to the Silver Arrows for the future.

“Clearly, we’re happy with the relationship that’s been in place for many years,” he said.

“Mercedes have produced really, fundamentally, the best on average power unit across certainly the last 15 years and where we are at the moment, certainly with Mercedes and the other OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], is we’re reviewing as we have to, and we need to ensure we review the marketplace and make decisions on that shortly, about where we are in terms of relationships.

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“It has to be this year, anyway [that we decide]. From where all teams will move forward, I think you’ll struggle to see teams migrate away from their current [supplier] much [later than] this year.”

Williams scored a single point at the Bahrain Grand Prix through Alex Albon’s P10 finish, getting the team off to a reasonable start as they push to compete in the midfield.

Both Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant looked impress, leading fans to believe that Williams could be in for a successful season this year.