Mercedes is just 50 horse power shy of the landmark 1000hp breakthrough with its current F1 ‘power unit’.
Auto Motor und Sport reports that GPS measurements made by a rival of the German marque’s engine output at the end of 2017 showed 949hp.
But the report claims Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell is “confident Mercedes will succeed” in breaking through the 1000hp barrier before the regulations conclude in late 2020.
“If the world champions maintain their approximate development speed, 1000hp will be reached in 2019,” correspondent Michael Schmidt said.