‘Party mode’ sparks row

Lewis Hamilton made the comment after the Chinese Grand Prix sprint, saying Mercedes “has another [engine] mode” in qualifying and that he “knows how that works,” according to post-session remarks reported by RacingNews365. (racingnews365.com)) Mercedes has converted that pace into front-row starts in the early 2026 rounds, including a front-row lockout at the season opener in Melbourne announced by the team. (mercedesamgf1.com)) In Shanghai, George Russell’s sprint-session benchmark lap was 1m31.520s with team‑mate Kimi Antonelli 0.289s adrift, while the next non‑Mercedes car (Lando Norris’ McLaren) was 0.621s slower, underlining where the gap appears in single-lap trim. (racer.com)) Lando Norris publicly rejected Hamilton’s “party mode” suggestion, calling it a fantasy and telling reporters “sometimes, when you are a bit off, you can create things in your head,” per Motorsport Week’s report. (motorsportweek.com)) Norris speaks from a different vantage point than some rivals: McLaren signed to run Mercedes‑built power units under an agreement extending into 2030, meaning his team uses the same 2026‑era supplier as the works Silver Arrows. (mclaren.com)) Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has also dismissed suggestions of anything unusual with the works power unit, saying the team “has done nothing unusual” with its 2026 package amid a steep learning curve under the new regulations. (speedcafe.com)) The broader technical context is that F1 moved to restrict qualifying‑only engine modes after 2020 (Technical Directive 37) and the power‑unit rules for 2026 further define homologation and control of modes, a regulatory backdrop commentators point to when debating Hamilton’s claim. (autosport.com))