Mercedes has arrived at the Spanish Grand Prix armed with three upgrades to the F1 2026 championship-leading W17 car, the FIA has confirmed.
Fellow frontrunners Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have also brought upgrades to the new Madring circuit.
Mercedes leads way with Spanish Grand Prix upgrades
In the car presentation submissions document published by the FIA ahead of FP1 on Friday morning, it was confirmed that Mercedes has made the most changes to its car for Madrid.
Two – tweaks to the rear wing and exhaust tailpipe – are described as circuit-specific, with Mercedes also changing the front drum ‘to improve flow attachment through all steer conditions, resulting in improved flow to the rear of the car.’
Ferrari, which remains without a win since Charles Leclerc’s triumph at the British Grand Prix, has introduced an upgrade to the rear suspension for Madrid.
Kimi Antonelli vs George Russell: Mercedes head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season
F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates
F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates
The change is described as a ‘small update on rear suspension fairing profile, adapting the overall incidence and spanwise loading distribution, simply returning a local load benefit.’
Ferrari is the only team to have previous experience of running at the Madring, with the Scuderia holding a filming day at the venue in July.
Meanwhile, McLaren has brought an update to the rear wing of the MCL40 – a winner in the hands of Lando Norris in Hungary and the Netherlands either side of the summer break – for the Spanish Grand Prix.
The team says ‘additional elements have been added to the rear wing, improving flow conditioning onto the rear wing mainplane and flap elements.’
Red Bull is targeting improved reliability in Madrid with the arrival of an updated rear wheel bodywork assembly and floor bib.
On the rear wheel bodywork assembly, the team said: ‘Continuing the work from Monza, the new and more robust gaitor gains winglets downstream of the suspension fairings seeking to restore the load of earlier races whilst maintaining a sealed wheel bodywork.’
On the tweak to the bib, Red Bull added: ‘When deflected, the laminate and shape have been altered to ideally eliminate deterioration of the structure and aerodynamic surfaces by reducing the local strain.’
Further back, Alpine has added an additional element to the forward floor board, with the component ‘optimised to improve the local pressure distribution and flow management, generating efficient local downforce.’
Meanwhile, Cadillac has added two performance-related upgrades with the arrival of a new rear wing flag and diffuser vane.
Cadillac, the only team yet to score a point in the F1 2026 season, said: ‘The reintroduction of a revised Rear Wing Flap central trailing edge winglet serves to generate more rear aerodynamic load, whilst improving overall aerodynamic stability throughout a range of operating conditions.
‘A small vertical turning vane has been added to the inner trailing edge of the outboard diffuser sidewall, which improves aerodynamic performance in the outer floor channels and increases the load at the rear of the car.’
Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, Haas, Audi and Williams have brought no upgrades to this event.
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: Spanish GP predictions: Madring madness, Leclerc hits back, Monaco vibes
Originally published by Planet F1 —
Read Original Article