Mercedes · 2026

Mercedes F1 W17

The Mercedes F1 W17 is Mercedes’s car for the 2026 season, powered by a Mercedes-AMG F1 M17 E Performance (works engine). Strong in: Qualifying, Race pace, Pit stop.

Updated 4 November 2026

Fact file

Car: Mercedes F1 W17
Team: Mercedes
Engine: Mercedes-AMG F1 M17 E Performance (works engine)
Launch: 22 January 2026 – renders of the car; season launch event on 2 February

The car at a glance

The W17 is Mercedes' first car for the new 2026 rules. It is smaller, narrower and lighter than its predecessor and has front and rear wings that adjust while driving. Mercedes builds both the car and the engine itself – that makes it a works team.

After 19 races the team is 1st in the constructors’ standings with 630 points. Its drivers took 12 wins, 24 podiums and 12 pole positions (starting from 1st on the grid). Its speed stayed similar through the season: in qualifying the better of its two cars was 1.7 on average. In total the team declared 19 new parts for more speed to the FIA; the biggest package came at the Canadian Grand Prix (7 parts).

No other engine is as widespread: four of the eleven teams use the Mercedes power unit – Mercedes plus McLaren, Williams and Alpine. In the new engine, roughly half of the power comes from the electric part and the other half from the combustion engine.

Description as of 4 November 2026. The paragraph on the season is updated from the results after every race.

Technical data

Values the rules set for all teams, and details of the Mercedes F1 W17. Anything not officially known is left out.

Specific to the Mercedes F1 W17
Component	Value
Engine	Mercedes-AMG F1 M17 E PerformanceWorks engine: built by the team itself or with a fixed partner (Mercedes).
Front suspension	Push-rodWith push-rod, an angled strut pushes the forces from the wheel up to the springs and dampers; with pull-rod it pulls them down.
Rear suspension	Push-rod
Brakes	Brembo (calipers)
Fuel partner	PetronasAll teams use sustainable fuel in 2026; the partner blends it to FIA specifications.
Lubricants partner	Petronas

The same for all cars (rules)
Component	Value
Combustion engine	1.6-litre turbo V61600 cc displacement, 6 cylinders in a V (90 degrees), one turbocharger.
Maximum engine speed	15,000 rpmThe most revolutions per minute the engine’s crankshaft may turn.
Combustion engine power	around 400 kW (about 540 hp)Clearly less than up to 2025 – the electric motor delivers much more instead.
Electric motor (MGU-K)	up to 350 kW (about 470 hp)Recovers energy under braking and adds power when accelerating. Its power is reduced on very fast straights.
Total power	just over 1000 hpOnly as long as the battery supplies enough energy.
MGU-H	no longer usedThe second generator on the turbocharger was dropped for 2026.
Fuel	100% sustainableMade for example from captured CO₂, waste or non-food biomass.
Gearbox	8 forward gears, 1 reverseSequential and semi-automatic: the driver selects each gear, the shift itself is hydraulic.
Chassis	Carbon-fibre monocoqueThe rigid safety cell the driver sits in.
Minimum weight	724 kg plus tyres (768 kg)With driver, without fuel; 726 kg plus tyres in qualifying. Around 30 kg less than in 2025.
Width	at most 1900 mm10 cm narrower than up to 2025.
Wheelbase	at most 3400 mmDistance between the front and rear axles, 20 cm shorter than up to 2025.
Aerodynamics	active wings, no more DRSFront and rear wings go flat on straights (Straight Mode, less drag) and steep for corners (Corner Mode, more downforce); early announcements called this X- and Z-mode.
Tyres	Pirelli, 18 inchControl tyres: every team uses the same Pirelli tyres.

Technical data as of 4 November 2026.

More: how a Formula 1 car works

2026 team comparison

Calculated from official timing data, average over 19 race weekends (as of Mexico City Grand Prix 2026).

Strengths

Fastest car in qualifying: on average 0.07 % (about 0.06 s) off the fastest lap.
Fastest car in the race: on average 0.15 % (about 0.14 s) per lap slower than the fastest team in each race.
Fastest pit stops: on average 0.69 s longer in the pit lane per stop than the fastest team in each race.

Comparatively weakest area

Pace loss on one set of tyres: 5th of 11 – the lap time gets 0.004 s faster per lap on a set of tyres on average.

1st = best value of the eleven teams. The explanation is shown below each name.

2026 team comparison: Mercedes F1 W17
Value	Mercedes F1 W17	Rank
Top speedHighest speed measured at the speed trap on the straight, averaged over all race weekends. Higher is better.	329.2 km/h	2 of 11
Speed over one lap (qualifying)Gap from the team’s best qualifying lap to the fastest lap of the day, on average. 0 means it set the fastest lap itself. Lower is better.	fastest team	1 of 11
Sector 1 (qualifying)Every track is split into three sectors. Gap to the best time in the first sector. Lower is better.	fastest team	1 of 11
Sector 2 (qualifying)Gap to the best time in the middle sector. Lower is better.	fastest team	1 of 11
Sector 3 (qualifying)Gap to the best time in the final sector. Lower is better.	fastest team	1 of 11
Race paceTypical lap time in the race (without the start, pit stops and safety car periods), gap to the fastest team. Lower is better.	fastest team	1 of 11
Laps per set of tyresHow many laps a car ran on one set of tyres in the race, on average. More usually means the tyres last longer.	21.9 laps	3 of 11
Pace loss on one set of tyresHow the lap time changes from lap to lap on the same set of tyres. Wearing tyres make the car slower, the emptying fuel tank makes it faster. Lower is better; a minus means the car even got faster over the run.	−0.004 s per lap	5 of 11
Pit stop timeHow much longer a car spent in the pit lane per stop than the fastest team (driving through plus the tyre change). Lower is better.	fastest team	1 of 11

Top speedHighest speed measured at the speed trap on the straight, averaged over all race weekends. Higher is better.

Race paceTypical lap time in the race (without the start, pit stops and safety car periods), gap to the fastest team. Lower is better.

Pace loss on one set of tyresHow the lap time changes from lap to lap on the same set of tyres. Wearing tyres make the car slower, the emptying fuel tank makes it faster. Lower is better; a minus means the car even got faster over the run.

Pit stop timeHow much longer a car spent in the pit lane per stop than the fastest team (driving through plus the tyre change). Lower is better.

Upgrades during the season

As declared by the teams to the FIA before each Grand Prix (26 new or changed parts).

Reason given by the team: “performance” means the part is meant to make the car faster. “Circuit-specific” means it is adapted to one particular track, for example more cooling in the heat or less drag for long straights. “Reliability” means it is meant to prevent failures.

Upgrades during the season: Mercedes F1 W17
Race	New or changed parts
Australian Grand PrixSeason start (changes since testing)	Bodywork, Front Wing, Rear Wing (performance)
Miami Grand Prix	Tailpipe, Front Corner (performance)
Canadian Grand Prix	Front Wing, Front Wing Endplate, Front Corner, Floor Board, Floor Corner, Floor Body, Rear Corner (performance) Front Corner (circuit-specific)
Monaco Grand Prix	Rear Wing (performance)
Barcelona Grand Prix	Rear Wing (performance)
Austrian Grand Prix	Front Suspension (performance)
Belgian Grand Prix	Rear Corner, Front Wing Endplate (performance) Rear Wing (circuit-specific)
Hungarian Grand Prix	Tail (performance) Rear Wing (circuit-specific)
Dutch Grand Prix	Front Corner (performance)
Italian Grand Prix	Rear Wing, Front Bodywork (circuit-specific)
Spanish Grand Prix	Front Drum (performance) Rear Wing, Exhaust Tailpipe (circuit-specific)
Singapore Grand Prix	Front Wing, Front Wing Endplate (performance)

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