(Motorsport-Total.com) – Formula 1 is currently taking a five-week break due to the Middle East conflict, which led to the cancellation of the two races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain: The next race will not take place until the beginning of May, when the Miami Grand Prix is on the schedule (all races of the 2026 season).
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Unlike the classic summer break, during which the factories must stand still, this “spring break” brings little relief. For the teams, work continues at an unchanged high pace: data from the season opener is being analyzed to prepare possible upgrades for Miami and the subsequent races.
For some teams, the break opens up the chance to specifically eliminate existing weaknesses. Others, however, would have benefited from additional track time. The bottom line is: while part of the field can capitalize on the interruption, others may fall even further behind.
Who loses the most: Mercedes
Naturally, the team that currently has the best chances of winning would have benefited most from continuous racing operations. Mercedes has presented itself as the benchmark so far and would have had the best prospects of further filling its points account in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The Silver Arrows would have been in a position to dominate the Middle East races before the competition receives a time window for extensive updates. “I think we might have wished that the two races in the Middle East would continue and that we could get a few more points,” says Team Principal Toto Wolff.
Mercedes by no means considers its current advantage a foregone conclusion. In the coming weeks and months, the team expects an intensive development duel that could melt the lead or even equalize it. In addition, the customer teams are making progress in handling the complex power units.
“People have now learned how to optimize these systems to their advantage, and we have seen the first signs of this [in Suzuka],” Wolff adds. “What looked like a foregone conclusion for us in the first two races is not. Miami will also be a restart for me.”
Another aspect: The reduced number of races before June also means less time for the Mercedes customer teams before stricter tests on the compression ratio take effect. These go back to concerns from the competition. Whether this results in a significant disadvantage remains controversial. Mercedes itself does not see it as a decisive factor.
Who will probably benefit the most: McLaren
In principle, every team chasing Mercedes benefits from the break. McLaren stands out in particular because it was already planned to bring the first major upgrade package only in Miami, instead of moving individual components to Bahrain prematurely.
McLaren therefore loses nothing by skipping the Middle East races and instead loses fewer points to Mercedes and perhaps also Ferrari. However, the season opener was marred by reliability problems: battery-related defects prevented Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from starting at the Chinese Grand Prix.
In Japan, however, a turnaround was hinted at. Piastri impressed with a strong performance and seemed to have earned his second place after an early lead phase. Norris continued to struggle with problems that affected his Friday.
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Nevertheless, the team is increasingly succeeding in extracting more performance from the Mercedes power unit and energy management. “I think there are some signs of progress in terms of performance and competitiveness,” team principal Andrea Stella explained to Sky after qualifying in Japan.
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“This progress comes from the fact that we are getting a bit more out of the chassis via the set-up. But above all, we are getting more out of the power unit.” Now McLaren is banking on repeating the strong development from the 2023 season and making a significant step forward in Miami – well aware that the competition is pursuing the same objective.
Who also has a disadvantage: Aston Martin
For Aston Martin, the break is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it gives engine partner Honda additional time to react to the disappointing start to the season and implement further reliability improvements. A next development step is already expected for Miami.
On the other hand, Aston Martin would have had little to lose through additional races. Instead, valuable track time is now missing to better understand and specifically further develop the AMR26 after the previous setbacks and problems.
As the only Honda team, every additional data collection is of particular importance. “We cannot perform miracles in five weeks,” says senior track engineer Mike Krack. “It is a continuous process.”
“We have seen with our problems since Barcelona that through hard work over two to three months we were able to improve reliability at least to the point where we can drive and compete in races. I don’t think we will close the gap by Miami, but we will try everything to reduce it.”
Who also has an advantage: Williams
Alongside Aston Martin, Williams is also among the disappointments of this new regulatory era. The car is too heavy, generates too little downforce, and suffers from fundamental balance problems that are difficult to fix in the short term. In addition, the team is still having difficulty making optimal use of the Mercedes power unit.
The result: In four qualifyings so far, including the sprint weekend in China, no starting position better than 15th place was achieved. Team principal James Vowles described the frustrating Japan weekend as a “line in the sand,” while Alex Albon used the second half of the race as a test session.
Through adjustments to the front wing set-up on Sunday, at least a small amount of progress could be achieved, which supports the development work at the factory in Grove. Parallel programs for weight reduction of the FW48 and aerodynamic optimization are running.
“It is of course the same for everyone, but for us it perhaps means more than for the others,” says Albon. “We are working intensively on this upgrade for Miami to get it finished in time. Basically, we will be in the factory every week during these weeks.”