(Motorsport-Total.com) – Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull have set the pace in Miami. Now it’s Mercedes’ turn: At the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal (follow all sessions here in the Formula 1 live ticker!), the star brand will deploy technical updates of its own – hoping that the already fast Mercedes W17 driven by Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will become even better.
Read more After dominant years: How the greatest Formula 1 empires fell apart
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said in Miami to Sky: “Yes, something is coming. Or: The bigger update is coming in Canada.”
Because Mercedes did not travel to Miami empty-handed, but deployed far fewer updates there than the direct competition: Only the exhaust pipe and an edge on the air intake of the front brake cooling were new. In Montreal, significantly more extensive changes are to be expected.
Toto Wolff: Mercedes must improve
The big question is: Will the Mercedes innovations have a similarly positive effect as the updates from Ferrari and especially McLaren and Red Bull? Because McLaren and Red Bull in particular seemed to benefit enormously from their new technical possibilities in Miami. Therefore, Mercedes is warned. (Video: The Miami updates explained!)
Wolff said: “We have to see that our update also works. On paper, it is always easy to say that you are now three or four tenths of a second faster. But on the track or on the stopwatch, it actually has to look like that.” This proof is still outstanding for Mercedes.
Read more Warning to Oscar Piastri: Should he rather stay at McLaren?
Kimi Antonelli wants to keep “applying pressure”
World Championship leader Antonelli is eagerly awaiting the first outing with the modified Mercedes. He said: “We currently have good momentum and hopefully the update works as desired. Because we have to keep applying pressure and raise the bar. After all, Miami showed how much things have changed compared to the weekends before.”
He already has “great confidence” in his race car, Antonelli continued. “But we also have to keep doing our job perfectly.”
Measured by Grand Prix wins, Mercedes has so far had a flawless record in the 2026 Formula 1 season: Russell won the opener in Australia, Antonelli all the other main races. Only in the sprint has Mercedes already been beaten: The Saturday win in Miami went to Lando Norris in the McLaren. For Mercedes, this means a commanding lead in both overall standings before Montreal.
Read more Expert: Canada will be a «decisive weekend» for George Russell