Motorsports
It has been announced when the favorite of Formula 1 2026 will take to the track for the first time
The Mercedes team has confirmed that it will test its new W17 car, produced according to the 2026 Formula 1 rules, at Silverstone on Thursday.
On Thursday morning, Silver Arrows released digital images of the W17 car with which the team hopes to break the ongoing championship pause with victory in the 2021 Constructors’ Championship.
Despite this, the Mercedes works team is seen as one of the main favorites ahead of the biggest rule changes in Formula 1 history. An important role in this is played by the successful experience of the Mercedes engine department, which created the dominant hybrid powertrains in 2014.
The W17 will make its first laps on the track on Thursday, but it won’t be the first Mercedes-powered car to hit the track in 2026. The previous day, the German manufacturer’s new customer team Alpin was at Silverstone as part of the shooting day.
Thus, W17 will be the fifth car to hit the tracks of the 2026 season, after Audi in Barcelona, Racing Bulls in Imola and Cadillac and Alpin in Silverstone.
In the 2026 season, Mercedes will re-add George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to its squad, which will be its second full season in Formula 1.
Despite a difficult period during the ground effect period, Mercedes finished second in the Constructors’ Championship twice in 2023 and 2025.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
On the second day of the Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of the World Rally Championship (WRC), which will be held from Thursday to Sunday, Swedish driver Oliver Solberg (Toyota) further widened his lead.
This Friday’s itinerary includes three different specials, each running twice. The Swede, son of 2003 world champion Petter Solberg, who had already finished first on Thursday, shined again on the snow and ice in the first stage of the day, setting the best time (13 minutes 48.5 seconds).
Of the nine special stages held so far, Solberg has won four, with a cumulative time of 2 hours 11 minutes 13.1 seconds. Due to a puncture he was only fifth, 27 seconds slower than Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans. “It’s been a great day because my advantage has increased. I’m happy and just want to welcome a new day,” the Swede concluded in a statement to the organization.
Even so, Evans continued to take 2nd place from the second day. The Briton never finished lower than fourth in any section and ended the day with a time of 2:12:21.5, 1:08.4 behind Solberg. “It was a good day, a little up and down, but good,” Evans said of his performance.
The joy for Toyota continued with the performance of Sébastien Ogier. The previous world title saw the Japanese team close to the full podium with a time of 2 hours 12 minutes 28.0 seconds, very close to that of the British athletes who had improved by nearly 18 seconds compared to Thursday’s time. The Frenchman particularly shined in the eighth section, navigating the muddy area better than his rivals (18:05.1).
Ford had to regret Irishman Josh McErlean’s withdrawal on stage nine, when his car went off the road in a snowbank shortly after the route began.
The Monte Carlo Rally will see drivers covering a total of over 339 kilometers across 17 stages. There are four stages remaining, including a super special through the streets of Monaco, on Saturday 24th January, and a further four stages on Sunday 25th.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Lewis Hamilton became the first Formula 1 driver to demonstrate the new active aerodynamics that will be used from the 2026 season.
On Friday, Hamilton took to the track at Fiorano, where Ferrari held the first races of its new generation car, immediately after the official presentation. The seven-time world champion completed his laps before handing over his car to Charles Leclerc, and active aerodynamics were recorded for the first time in these races.
For the first time, cameras recorded the operation of the moving elements of the front wing, which could not be seen in the first test drives of Audi, Cadillac, Racing Bulls, Mercedes and Alpin – at that time no images of the operation of the new moving wings were published.
The rear wing operates on a similar principle to conventional DRS; only the space between the elements widens. At the same time, the elements on the front wing that create downforce when activated move downwards, significantly changing the aerodynamic balance of the car.
I believe this is the first time we have seen active aero with these regulations, as Lewis Hamilton’s rear wing opened in the SF-26 as he came down the straight. pic.twitter.com/9qJzN9Fkz8
— Daniel Valente 🏎️ (@F1GuyDan) January 23, 2026
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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