On Thursday, January 22, Mercedes F1, named the main favorite for the 2026 championship, held the presentation of its new W17 car and immediately took it to the Silverstone circuit in the United Kingdom.

The main reason for the high expectations for the Silver Arrows is changes in regulations, especially powertrains. With such changes in previous years, Mercedes created the most efficient engine and thus dominated the period from 2014 to 2020.

The team partially confirmed its potential by finding a gap in the engine’s compression that provided an additional ~15 horsepower and up to 0.3 seconds per lap. But it will finally be possible to check its effectiveness only in pre-season tests.

Now, based on pictures and videos on the network, it is possible to make a preliminary analysis of the aerodynamic solutions and open structures of the vehicle on which this material will be allocated.

As in the case of Racing Bulls, the analysis will gradually progress from the nose of the car to its tail.

Nose and front suspension

First of all, the mechanism for activating the wing (yellow circle in the photo below) attracted attention. Unlike the Racing Bulls, Mercedes opted for a configuration with a single central mechanism rather than two, one on each side of the wing, like Cadillac and Alpin.

According to preliminary estimates, such a solution should be lighter, more reliable and easier to implement. At the same time, there is a risk that due to its location, the mechanism will create additional turbulent air flows at the bottom, further reducing ground effect in new generation cars.

It will become clear which of these will be more important and effective towards the middle of the season. Most likely, already in the second half of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, most, if not all, teams will come to a common decision.

Also notable about the Mercedes is the rather extreme lower part of the car’s nose (highlighted in red at the top), which first rises sharply and then dips back down again.

This solution allows a larger volume of air to be directed directly under the base compared to more fluid solutions. This is expected to have a positive impact on the level of downforce in the central part of the vehicle and especially in the diffuser area.

Suspension-wise, the Brackley team stuck to last year’s pushrod concept (highlighted in purple above). In recent years, Mercedes has been constantly working on this specific plan and did not change it at the beginning of the new era of the championship. Moreover, judging by the current photos of the real cars, almost all teams in the peloton have either left or switched to a very similar configuration.

middle part of the car

In the screenshot of the team’s video, the car is clearly visible in front projection, allowing you to examine the air intake area and the front edge of the underside of the Mercedes W17 in more detail.

The dividers (pink ellipse) at the lower fuselage entrance have become noticeably smaller compared to previous generation machines; This is a result of the significantly reduced impact of ground effect.

The side air intakes (light green ellipse) are slightly larger than those of the Racing Bulls, but the difference is not critical. At the same time, you can clearly see how the sidepods “protrude” from both sides of the car, creating an air tunnel along the body of the car towards the diffuser.

The air intake above the driver’s head is also smaller than that of the Racing Bulls previously seen on the track. At the same time, its dimensions roughly correspond to solutions that can be seen on cars from Alpin (Mercedes customer) and Cadillac (Ferrari customer). This suggests that the selection of the young bull team was determined not by the requirements of new technical regulations, but by the design features of the Red Bull Ford power plant.

One element also stands out in the rear wheel area (red circle below). As mentioned above, the design of the 2026 Mercedes’ sidewalls directs airflow across the body of the car towards its tail. The purpose of this element is to collect as much of this flow as possible and direct it directly to the diffuser, minimizing air dispersion and increasing the overall efficiency of the aerodynamic concept.

Competing teams that have not yet achieved such a solution will most likely immediately begin to copy it.

rear suspension

The rear suspension is made according to the pushrod design, like last year. From the available photos it is clear that the difference in the height of the arms relative to the outer and inner joints is quite significant. This demonstrates the team’s commitment to achieving high levels of back-end lift prevention.

Mercedes tried to implement a similar solution during updates at Imola last year. This then led to handling problems, a disastrous middle part of the championship and ultimately the abandonment of the concept in the second half of the season.

Maybe this time, “Silver Arrows” was supposed to come to exactly such a solution. This assumption is supported by the fact that Racing Bulls has chosen a similar concept, trying to ensure that the rear of the car is most stable during braking.

Besides the return of the commission, which is discussed in detail in the article about Racing Bulls, there may be another explanation for this decision. The increased role of the electric component of the powertrain means higher levels of energy recovery, and a more stable rear suspension can help charge the battery more efficiently. There is a high probability that similar technical solutions will appear in the vehicles of other teams.

The rear wing does not look unusual or innovative. In addition, this is perhaps the most variable part of the car and often has a variety of configurations. It’s almost guaranteed that we’ll see a completely different version of this element in Barcelona.

Solution

The 2026 Mercedes car looks quite confident. Every element here is closely connected to each other, from nose to tail. The general concept is perceived as holistic and logical. We’re yet to see such completed versions from other top-flight teams, but Mercedes already looks promising.

It is not yet known what the real power of the Mercedes power plant, which is talked about so much in the paddock, is. But one thing is for sure: the team has complete confidence in its car. They covered almost the maximum distance allowed throughout the shooting day and the feedback from the team was that all settings looked positive, with no deviations or red flags detected.

Time will tell exactly what the competitors will show. But it is already clear why this car is called the main favorite of the season.

Alpin evaluated the first drive of the Mercedes-powered vehicle positively and said that the race at Silverstone gave the team confidence before the preparations for the 2026 season.

The Enstone team is working as a Mercedes customer for the first time, abandoning Renault’s own engine on the eve of new rules. On a rainy and cold shooting day, Pierre Gasly rode 140 km of the allowed 200 km, and the program was shortened only due to weather conditions. Despite this, the A526 with Mercedes engine and transmission operated without any technical problems.

Flavio Briatore, one of the team leaders, noted that the silence on the radio was the main positive point:

“For the first time in my long career in Formula 1, a car goes, comes back, comes out again and nothing else happens. Usually we talk about temperature, oil and settings. The radio was silent here. That’s good news.”

“We covered less than 150 km due to aquaplaning. There was no point in risking the car.”

Audi has officially announced that it is creating its own driver development program that will cover the entire path of young talent from karting to formula series and possibly Formula 1. The move is part of the brand’s long-term strategy to compete for the championship title by 2030.

Alan McNish, a former Formula 1 driver, multiple winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and long-time representative of Audi in motorsport, has been appointed head of the programme. The company states that the aim of the initiative is not only to find fast pilots, but also to train athletes with the right mentality, determination and the ability to work as a team.

The launch of the junior program puts Audi on par with leading Formula 1 teams such as Ferrari and McLaren. Red Bull and Alpin have been investing in the development of young drivers for many years.