Mercedes ready to flex F1 muscles at Canadian GP

Mercedes

Mercedes ready to flex F1 muscles at Canadian GP

Mercedes have been the dominant team so far in 2026

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 21 May 2026 19:39

Mercedes are bringing upgrades to their W17 this weekend, hoping to stay ahead of their competitors in the title fight.

Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull all brought a plethora of upgrades to their cars last time out in Miami in an attempt to catch up to the dominant Mercedes team following a five-week break.

For McLaren at least, that seemed to work, and they achieved a one-two in the sprint race and a two-three in the grand prix.

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They finished ahead of George Russell in both of those races and arguably cemented themselves as Mercedes' biggest threat for race wins.

Now, as Russell looks to fight back in his fight for the drivers' championship and Mercedes look to extend their lead at the top of the constructors' championship, the team are bringing a host of upgrades to the Canadian Grand Prix.

F1 heads to Montreal this weekend for the fifth round of the season, and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has said that the team are now working to try and put some daylight between themselves and their competitors.

"We head to Canada ready to get back into a regular rhythm of racing," Wolff told the official Mercedes website. "Our competitors took a step forward in Miami and we need to respond; seven grands prix in 10 weekends before shutdown is an opportunity to do that and build momentum.

"We bring our first update package of the year to Montreal, but we know that performance is only performance once it is delivered on track.

"Despite being in the middle of May, we are just four races into the season. There is a long year ahead and, whilst this is an important weekend, it will not decide any outcomes.

"We will stay balanced, keep learning, and execute each weekend as well as we can. We won't get too high when we succeed or too low in the difficult moments; that is as true for our drivers as it is for the rest of the team."

Can McLaren get back into the title fight?

Following their seven upgrades which they brought to Miami, McLaren have also confirmed some more updates for the Canadian GP.

2025 world champion Lando Norris has not won a single grand prix so far in 2026, but is starting to experience better results in his MCL40.

Despite not even being able to start the Chinese Grand Prix, Norris is only 49 points behind early championship leader Kimi Antonelli and, although a lot of focus is being placed on Mercedes' upgrades heading into this weekend, McLaren have confirmed some upgrades of their own.

The MCL40 will see some big changes as part of McLaren's aggressive approach that they are taking to their development path for the remainder of 2026 as they seek to get their drivers back into the hunt for race wins and championships.

F1 Mercedes George Russell Toto Wolff Canadian Grand Prix Andrea Kimi Antonelli