Mercedes is preparing a more robust update package for the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 season. According to the team’s deputy technical director, Simone Resta, the strategy was planned from the beginning of the year to focus part of the development after the category’s summer break.
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While Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull presented large update packages in the first races, Mercedes took a different path with the W17. The team debuted in Australia with a solid base, made small evolutions throughout the initial stages, and reserved its first major update for the Canadian GP. The updates helped Mercedes contain the rivals’ reaction and maintain the lead in the constructors’ championship.
“In the end, I think we tried to have strong development for the first race from the winter test,” Resta told the press. “Then, in almost every race, we had a small step here and there, and then another big step in Canada.”
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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff stated that the strategy was a conscious decision to strengthen performance in the final stretch of the season: “We tried to give a bit more weight to the second half of the season,” he said. “And we will see if that will be enough.”
Resta confirmed that more significant evolutions are planned after the break. “Probably, after the break, we will try to focus on bringing something more substantial to the car,” he added. “We are clearly focused on trying to develop the car at every event, but also thinking about something bigger, bringing another step for the car.”
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