Mercedes has revealed the first images of its 2026 Formula 1 car, the W17.
The team, which failed to mount a championship bid in the ground-effect rules era from 2022 to 2025, is aiming to use this year’s new car and engine rules to return to title-fighting ways.
Mercedes has long been tipped as a favourite, not only because of its works status and the benefit that confers, but because of paddock rumours that its development for the new engine regulations was going extremely well.
This has to an extent mirrored the narrative prior to the start of the last new engine rules era in 2014 when Mercedes had a massive advantage, although any gap that may materialise is not expected to be so large.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called the release of the first renders of the W17 “the next step” in its process of preparing for the “significant” 2026 changes.
“It represents the collective, sustained effort of our teams in Brixworth and Brackley,” Wolff said.
“We will continue to push hard in the months ahead."
While the real car may differ, the renders offer a comparison to a few trends that have emerged already across the initial digital and real-world images that have emerged for a few 2026 cars.
Mercedes has opted for a pushrod front and rear suspension configuration, like most teams we have seen so far. It has a medium-sized, shaped diveplane on the outside of the front wing endplate, whereas some have gone for larger winglets, and developed a more intricate forward fence for its launch car.
But the sidepod shaping is clearly different. Behind the narrow inlet, while most cars feature downwashing sidepods that fall away at the rear, Mercedes' sidepod rises again at the back, which could become a point of distinction if this is the real design.
