Shovlin says Mercedes repeat of 2014-2021 run is 'impossible'

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin says the team cannot expect to repeat its run of eight consecutive constructors' titles, which ran from 2014 to 2021. Mercedes clinched its ninth constructors' championship at Interlagos this year, after Red Bull and McLaren each took two titles since the last of that streak.

Shovlin said the team's lack of wins in the years before 2026 had helped it, and that the cost cap makes a run like the previous one unrealistic. He said Mercedes would still aim to do the best job it can and not take anything for granted, with Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull all posing threats.

As champion, Mercedes will receive the least aerodynamic testing time, which Shovlin downplayed, saying it makes racing more competitive because dominance is harder to achieve than in the past.