Mercedes W17 Completes Maiden Shakedown at Silverstone
Mercedes' 2026 challenger, the W17, successfully completed its shakedown at Silverstone with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli sharing driving duties on the new regulations package.
The Mercedes-AMG F1 W17 E Performance has officially turned a wheel, completing its shakedown at Silverstone with George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli sharing driving duties. The pair logged 67 laps on the International layout, focusing on systems checks for the team's new 2026 package following sweeping regulatory changes.
Why it matters:
This debut marks a critical first step for Mercedes as they aim to return to the front of the grid under the new chassis and power unit regulations. With the competitive landscape shifting dramatically for 2026, ensuring immediate reliability allows the team to maximize valuable development time ahead of pre-season testing.
The details:
- Run Plan: The team utilized Pirelli's demonstration tires for the filming day, strictly prioritizing reliability and baseline systems verification over outright performance data.
- Driver Feedback: Both Russell and Antonelli experienced the 2026 car for the first time, providing initial feedback on the new power unit and chassis integration.
- Engineering Perspective: Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin described the day as a "sensible first day," emphasizing the successful collaboration between the chassis team at Brackley and the power unit division at Brixworth.
- Context: While customer team Alpine had previously run the 2026 Mercedes engine, this was the first time the works team ran the complete car and power unit package together.
What's next:
Attention now shifts to Spain for a more intensive private test at Barcelona from January 26 to 30. The team aims to build on today's reliability findings and begin extracting performance data from the W17.