Mercedes has gotten off to a strong start to the 2026 pre-season. The Silver Arrows are even ahead of schedule in terms of distance covered during the shakedown in Barcelona. According to Andrew Shovlin – the trackside engineering director – the W17 ran “flawlessly” on the second test day last Wednesday: “We’re actually losing more time on track because of other people’s bad luck.”
The Mercedes team has enjoyed a flying start to the 2026 pre-season. The Silver Arrows completed their first laps in the W17 on Monday and Wednesday, and it went better than the team expected. Andrew Shovlin, the trackside engineering director at Mercedes, is particularly pleased that issues haven’t appeared with either the new power unit or the new chassis.
“Normally you expect a few teething problems, a bit of reliability that costs you track time,” Shovlin said in Barcelona. “On Wednesday the car ran flawlessly. We’re actually losing more time on track because of others’ bad luck and red flags than because of anything on our side, so that’s good.” The Brit added: “As far as mileage goes, we’re slightly ahead of schedule.”
Drivers also satisfied
According to the engineer, Mercedes is even ahead of its “long list of objectives” after two days in Barcelona. Drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli have already completed a combined 334 laps, the equivalent of five times the distance of the Spanish GP. “George and Kimi are happy with the car,” Shovlin said. “It feels nicer to drive than under the previous regulations. It’s a bit lighter and turns in well. We have good balance at low and high speed. But ultimately the most important question is whether we’re quick or not. I think on the final day we’ll see what the competition can do, but realistically that work will continue in Bahrain.”
