Mercedes shares their F1 plan to take on exciting new Ferrari upgrades
Mercedes have been the team to beat so far in the 2026 Formula One season, as they currently lead the Constructors’ Championship. But Ferrari is catching up with their new upgrades.
Right now, Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell hold first and second place in the Drivers’ Championship, while Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are close behind in third and fourth.
After the British Grand Prix, Mercedes has a strong lead with 333 points, compared to Ferrari’s 255. With 13 races still to go, though, the Italians definitely have a chance to take the trophy.
If Ferrari wins the 2026 Constructors Championship, it would be their first time since 2008!
To stop that from happening and keep ahead of Ferrari’s upgrades, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin shared their plan.
On the latest Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show, Shovlin explained, “We’re adding performance little by little. We haven’t done a huge upgrade like some teams, but every week we try to improve to stay ahead.
“We’re lucky—well, actually, we worked hard—to build a car that performs well on lots of different tracks.
“We put a lot of effort into preparing for each circuit to make sure the car is set up right. Some places like Monaco and Austria have been tough for us before, so it was great to do better there.
“But Spa is a tricky track, especially with energy management. We’ve got a lot to work on to hit the ground running.”
Formula 1 fans are excited for the Belgian Grand Prix on July 19 to see how the fight between Mercedes and Ferrari shapes up—or if another team can step in and snag a win at Spa.
Mercedes will want a better result this year, since last time Russell finished sixth and Antonelli ended up 16th without points.