Mercedes F1 upgrades 2026

Compared to the 2026 starting point, the R01 rear wing has increased camber.

Increased rear wing camber to increase wing load, with the chord of the elements optimised to find the right balance between SLM closed Cz and SLM open Cx.

Compared to the 2026 starting point, the R01 bodywork is more downwash in sideview, with a high inlet.

Down-washing the bodywork pulls high energy flow down onto the rear of the car. The high inlet increases the stream tube to the rear floor.

Compared to the 2026 starting point, the R01 front wing has increased camber and no strake.

Increasing element chamber increases the front wing load, with the spanwise loading chosen to optimise the onset flow to the floor.

Increased front drum lip chord Increased front drum lip chord, reduces local losses and improves flow to the rear of the car increasing rear downforce.

Tailpipe reposition with new slotted bracket The tailpipe has been rotated tail down (away from the upper wing) and slotted bracket added, to improve the local drag and downforce response.

Increased inlet and exit size.

Due to the high braking demands of Montreal - increasing the duct inlet and exit size increases mass flow feeding the discs resulting in more cooling.

Rear winglet span and position redistribution Chord and position of the rear caketin winglets re-optimised to improve local flow control and performance of the diffuser.

Front wing endplate and footplate adjusted to accommodate the above.

Footplate stakes added. Diveplane camber adjusted.

Additional slots Re-optimisation of floor corner slot arrangement to both increase local load and to also improve flow into the diffuser and hence rear load.

Front wing outboard elements dropped in height and run into the footplate.

Running the front wing elements into the footplate, and adding strakes, results in more robust flow structures, improving flow to the rear of the car and gaining downforce.

Reprofiled diffuser roof By reprofiling the diffuser roof and sidewall we improve the surface flow quality throughout the operating envelope and generate more local load.

Front caketin upper lip camber reduced.

Reduced upper lip camber improves flow structure robustness throughout the operating envelope, improving the onset flow to the rear wing.

Reprofiled elements Reprofiled elements to improve local pressure distribution and reduce separations at the extremes of the operating envelope, resulting in increased local load.

Small winglets added within rear wing SM fairing volume These winglets generate local downforce and drag.

The lack of SM mechanism, and the low drag sensitivity of Monaco. make these elements attractive.

Small winglets added on centreline to rear wing.

These winglets increase the camber of the upper rear wing on centreline, generating downforce and drag at a ratio attractive for this event.

Leg fairing angle of attack adjustment Leg fairing angle of attacked adjusted to improve alignment to onset flow throughout ride height range, resulting in improved flow to the rear of the car.

Narrower rear exit A narrower rear exit allows more cooling range tuning, biasing more cooling flow to the louvres rather than the rear exit.

Rear drum winglets position and span Rear drum winglets position and span optimised around evolving onset flow and local load requirements – improved robustness through operating envelope.

Endplate top edge camber increased Endplate top edge camber increased to improve front wing performance throughout the operating envelope, improving onset flow to the rear of the car.

Reduce camber upper wing elements The upper wing element camber has been reduced to drop local downforce and drag at a level appropriate for Spa L/D.

Additional rear wing winglet added on centreline The new winglet increases local wing chord and camber increasing local downforce and drag at a ratio appropriate for Budapest L/D.

Tail winglet merged into rear wing brace.

Running the tail winglet into the rear wing brace increases local downforce and drag at a ratio appropriate for Budapest L/D.

Wider bodywork rear exit Increased exit size to achieve adequate mass flow through the sidepods to ensure we have adequate cooling for this track.

Drum front lip detached from the duct inlet and camber adjusted.

Detaching the lip from the duct inlet improves flow quality over the inboard face of the drum throughout the steer range, improving flow to the rear of the car.

Various winglet devices removed from rear wing.

Removing the rear wing winglets reduces assembly camber shedding local downforce and drag at a ratio appropriate for Monza L/D.

Mirror rear stays trimmed.

The mirror stay trim reduces local camber and loading, shedding local downforce and drag at a ratio appropriate for Monza L/D.

Additional winglet added behind exhaust Additional winglet added to increase exhaust flow turning to generate load and drag at a ratio appropriate for Madrid L/D.

Rear wing central winglet span reduced Reducing the span of the central winglet mounted above the rear wing flap sheds local downforce and drag at a ratio appropriate for Madrid L/D.

Front lip reprofiled Front lip reprofiled to improve flow attachment through all steer conditions, resulting in improved flow to the rear of the car.

Reprofiled horizontal elements, and vertical slotted upper element added.

Reprofiled elements and new vertical elements added to improve local pressure distribution, reduce separations at the extremes of the operating envelope, and improve flow to the rear of the car, resulting in increased load.

Reduce volume, increased sideview ramp.

Reduce volume and increased sideview ramp increases downwash to the rear floor and rear drum, resulting in more load.

Additional slots and reprofiled elements.

Re-optimisation of floor corner slot arrangement to both increase local load and to also improve flow into the diffuser and hence rear load.

Reprofiled diffuser roof, sidewall, and winglet.

Through re-optimisation of the diffuser roof and sidewall we have increased local load and improved robustness throughout the operating envelope.

Reprofiled and additional down-washing elements added.

Additional down-washing elements increase local load and outwash, improving flow to the rear of the car and increasing rear floor load.

Reprofiled suspension fairings.

Track rod and driveshaft camber re-distributed to increase local load whilst improving coupling with diffuser winglet and rear drum furniture.

Rear winglet span and position change.

Chord and position of the rear drum winglets re- optimised to work with above fairing update and to improve rear tyre wake control across the operating envelope.

Front wing endplate and footplate adjusted to accommodate the above.

Diveplane camber adjusted.

Change in chord distribution between three wing elements; switch to two element SM Change in chordwise and spanwise loading, results in improved performance across the operating envelope, including improved front tyre wake control.