Alex Albon has revealed in an exclusive interview with SPORTbible that four F1 teams could have a significant advantage in 2026, and it’s the worst possible news for Lewis Hamilton.

Williams has been the surprise of the 2025 Formula 1 season so far, with the team scoring more than double the number of points it had in the entire 2024 season.

Albon has been key to Williams’ successful start to the year, even with the signing of Carlos Sainz from Ferrari, as the Spaniard scored 23 points less than his teammate.

Despite the Oxfordshire-based team’s strong start to the season, it’s no secret that most of team principal James Vowels’ attention has been focused on 2026.

The 2026 season will bring major changes to F1, with significant changes to engine and chassis regulations.

Much like the 2022 changes that saw the fall of the dominant Mercedes and the rise of McLaren and Ferrari, the new regulations are likely to shake up the hierarchy.

Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible, Albon revealed how he hopes these changes will affect Williams in the F1 landscape.

“I hope to be at least where we are now in general terms,” Albon explained.

“I think we can look forward from where we are this year.”

Albon predicts the regulations will give four teams an advantage.

Although the F1 chassis will ultimately be smaller, along with a 30kg weight reduction, engine changes will likely be the most significant factor heading into 2026.

The most significant change to the powertrain includes a 300% increase in electric power from the battery, and the engines will also run entirely on sustainable fuel.

These changes will be very important, as each engine manufacturer will have a chance to perfect their power unit before the first race.

According to Albon, teams competing with a Mercedes engine could gain a significant advantage, similar to what we saw after the 2014 engine changes.

“I think the engine regulations will be very interesting,” he said.

“I hope the Mercedes propulsion system will be beneficial; I think it will help us a lot.”

Although there will be 11 teams on the F1 grid by 2026, only Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, and now Ford (Red Bull/RB) will manufacture engines, with the remaining teams forced to purchase their own engines.

Albon added: “Having said that, we have teams like McLaren, obviously Mercedes, and even Alpine joining Mercedes, so there will still be a fight in that regard.

“That’s what I see. We’ve had a great year so far, but there’s still a lot left to do,” he insisted.

The Mercedes engine could be a disaster for Hamilton.

If Albon’s prediction about Mercedes is correct, it would be a major blow to Hamilton, whose move to Ferrari is directly linked to his pursuit of an eighth world title.

With Ferrari’s 2025 contender far from a championship contender, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s hopes are pinned on the 2026 car, making Albon’s claims extremely worrying for the Scuderia.

Ferrari will supply power units to the new Cadillac F1 team, meaning the Italian team is expected to produce a competitive engine; however, all signs point to a Mercedes advantage.