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Infographic titled The W17 showing the 2026 Mercedes in black and teal Petronas livery, with ten poles from thirteen rounds, 772 kg with driver, a 50/50 engine to electric split and zero fastest speed traps.

Mercedes W17: The 2026 Car, and What It Actually Does

The W17 is smaller, narrower and lighter than the car before it, and it has taken ten of the first thirteen poles. We measured where its advantage actually comes from.

Bhavin Lathia· Sep 6, 2026

Poster titled Eleven Answers One Rulebook showing three 2026 F1 cars, a red Ferrari number 16, an orange McLaren and a black Mercedes, with the team gap at 1.99 percent in 2025 against 4.66 percent in 2026.

Guides

See Every 2026 F1 Car in 3D: The New-Rules Grid, Up Close

2026 is the biggest rules reset in years, and we can prove the teams disagreed: the gap between the fastest and slowest team more than doubled. Spin every car in 3D.

Bhavin Lathia· Aug 2, 2026