Coming into the season as defending champions McLaren had high expectations, but why has it failed to make an impression on the title fight early on?

"We have looked in the mix with several of our rivals near the front but it's clear, with Ferrari topping the times and McLaren and Red Bull Racing being right on their tails, that we need to continue working hard to bring more performance.”

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes Red Bull is setting the benchmark for performance in 2026 so far, following the first day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.Mercedes and George Russell have been installed as the bookmakers’ favorite heading into the new season, with the power unit and aerodynamic...

George Russell says the top four teams of Mercedes, McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari all look closely matched from the initial running of 2026 Formula 1 cars in Barcelona, while he also is not discounting Aston Martin’s potential.

Mercedes became the fourth F1 team to reveal its 2026 car, with images of the W17 released ahead of the car running for the first time at Silverstone.

After 19 years at Brackley, Mercedes' director of car design John Owen is leaving the team.