Mercedes has revealed that a series of secret codes have been one of the keys to beating their rivals in Formula 1 in 2026.
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The German team is on track to win both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championships, with Kimi Antonelli leading by 81 points over teammate George Russell.
And it’s no coincidence they are having a good moment, as they manage to maximize strategy. At the Spanish GP, for example, the Italian stopped during the virtual safety car period and capitalized on Lando Norris, who could only make the pit stop on the following lap. In this, the championship leader won and the Briton was only third.
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Then, Andrew Shovlin, track engineering director, revealed a ‘trick’ Mercedes uses in F1 to alert their drivers of opportunities.
“We try not to let other teams know what these codes are,” he said on the Silver Arrows Radio Show podcast.
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“So, we change them every week,” he added.
