Mercedes arrives at the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula 1 under growing pressure in the 2026 season. After the progress shown by McLaren in Miami, Toto Wolff sent a direct message to the competitors and reinforced that the German team is ready to respond with its first major upgrade package of the year.
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The weekend in Montreal will be considered decisive to measure Mercedes’ real strength against the evolution of rival teams. Even leading the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, the team saw McLaren, Red Bull Racing, and Ferrari reduce the gap in recent races.
Wolff highlighted that the moment requires internal balance to keep the competition under control throughout the season: “We will remain balanced, keep learning, and execute each weekend as best as possible,” said the Mercedes boss.
The executive also emphasized that the team cannot get overly excited in good moments nor lose confidence in difficulties: “We will not get too excited when we succeed or get too down in difficult moments. This applies both to the drivers and the rest of the team,” he said.
Despite Kimi Antonelli maintaining his perfect winning streak by winning for the third consecutive time in Miami, Mercedes’ advantage began to shrink. McLaren finished in second and third places, just 3.264 seconds behind the Italian, in addition to dominating the Sprint race with Lando Norris winning ahead of Oscar Piastri.
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Meanwhile, Red Bull also showed signs of recovery after a difficult start to the season. Max Verstappen started on the front row and finished fifth even after a spin on the first lap, while team principal Laurent Mekies revealed that the RB22’s gap in qualifying dropped from over a second to less than two tenths in Miami.
Ferrari remains close in the fight, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton appearing as frequent podium contenders with the SF-26. To react to the growth of competitors, Mercedes will bring to Canada its first significant development package in 2026, after seeing rivals introduce upgrades in Miami.
“We are going to Canada ready to return to the normal race pace. Our competitors took a step forward in Miami and we need to respond,” said Wolff. The Austrian, however, avoided creating exaggerated expectations: “We are only four races into the season. There is still a long year ahead and, although this is an important weekend, it will not decide any outcome,” concluded the Mercedes boss.
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