Mercedes to conduct vital test ahead of key F1 season

Mercedes has confirmed it is to complete a shakedown of its brand-new W17 2026 F1 car at Silverstone on Thursday. 

Digital renders of the new W17 machine were unveiled on Thursday morning, the car the team hopes will end a title drought stretching back to the 2021 constructors' after its struggles in the ground effects era.

Across the four seasons of the old regulations, Mercedes claimed just seven grand prix wins, including none in 2023, as the Brackley engineers could not work with the regulations to the success of Red Bull, and latterly, the customer engine team, McLaren. 

However, given the success of Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) in designing the initial turbo hybrids in 2014, the works Mercedes team is regarded as one of the major title favourites for the biggest package of rule changes in F1 history.

The new machine will hit the track for the first time at the British Grand Prix venue later on Thursday, but it will not be the first Mercedes-powered car to be on-track. 

New customer Alpine completed a shakedown, also at Silverstone, on Wednesday, the first for a 2026 Mercedes-powered car.

The W17's first outing will be the fifth 2026 car to hit the track, following Audi in Barcelona, Racing Bulls at Imola, and both Cadillac and Alpine at Silverstone. 

Once again, the drivers will be team leader, Briton George Russell and Italian Kimi Antonelli, who is starting his second full season of grand prix racing, although chief designer John Owen is stepping down before a period of gardening leave ahead of a move elsewhere.

Despite its struggles in the ground effects era, Mercedes did finish runner-up in the constructors' championship twice, in 2023 and 2025.

Check out a full photo gallery of the new Mercedes W17 livery by clicking this link, and make sure to let us know what you think of it by voting in the poll below!