TEAM PREVIEW: Mercedes – all you need to know about the team ahead of the 2026 F1 season

After winning every Teams’ title – and all bar one Drivers’ crown – under the initial turbo-hybrid era from 2014 to 2021, Mercedes failed to add any more on a rollercoaster ride through the 2022-2025 ‘ground effect’ ruleset. So, what are the chances of the Silver Arrows getting back to their best with new cars and new power units in 2026? Here’s everything you need to know about the squad ahead of the new campaign…

Drivers for 2026

Kimi Antonelli #12: Best finish of 2nd, 150 points, 24 starts
George Russell #63: 5 Grand Prix wins, 7 pole positions, 24 podiums, 1,033 points, 152 starts
One of the most successful partnerships in F1 history came to an end in 2025 when seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes to join Ferrari, paving the way for upcoming star Kimi Antonelli to make his debut alongside George Russell.

Mercedes have supported Italian teenager Antonelli since his karting days, overseeing a particularly rapid rise through the single-seater ranks that included back-to-back titles in Formula 4 and Formula Regional, and race wins in Formula 2.

He made headlines in F1 almost immediately, bouncing back from a debut Q1 exit at the Australian Grand Prix to turn 16th on the grid into fourth place amid mixed weather conditions, and showcasing some of the potential Mercedes had long been talking about.

Now very much the senior driver at the team, 27-year-old Russell is preparing for what will be a fifth season with Mercedes, having added two more pole positions and victories to his tally in 2025.

Before his promotion to the senior squad, Russell started out in F1 with two Mercedes-powered teams – making a pair of FP1 outings for Force India in 2017, and then racing for Williams from 2019 through 2021.

How did Mercedes do in 2025?

As touched on in our introduction, Mercedes never quite managed to get on top of F1’s latest ground effect regulations. While Russell and Hamilton grabbed occasional race wins during their time together, the team dropped to third in the standings in 2022, placed second in 2023 and wound up fourth in 2024.

It was a similar story for Russell and new team mate Antonelli in 2025, though their combined points tally at least proved enough to overhaul rivals Ferrari and Red Bull, and return Mercedes to a more respectable second position behind champions McLaren.

Highlights on Russell’s side were pole-to-victory performances at the Canadian and Singapore Grands Prix, with his consistent points-scoring keeping him mathematically in contention for the Drivers’ title until the final three rounds.

Antonelli’s debut season unsurprisingly featured ups and downs – the ups being his Sprint pole in Miami, first podium in Canada, P2 in Brazil and another top-three finish in Las Vegas, and the downs coming across a tough European stint thanks in part to a suspension change knocking his confidence.

History

Mercedes first competed in F1 in 1954, winning back-to-back titles with Juan Manuel Fangio, only for the manufacturer to withdraw from motorsport following a major accident at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans that killed their driver Pierre Levegh and a group of spectators.

Mercedes’ current entry can be traced back to the Tyrrell operation, who competed in the sport between 1970 and 1998, before being sold to British American Racing (BAR) for 1999 and then morphing into Honda’s works team through the noughties.

When Honda pulled out of F1 at the end of 2008, it led to one of the greatest stories in sporting history, with Ross Brawn stepping in to buy the team and miraculously overseeing a run to both world titles – Jenson Button becoming the Drivers’ champion.

After that memorable trophy-filled season, Mercedes purchased Brawn GP and officially returned to F1 as a works team for 2010, building steadily over the following campaigns and mastering the start to the turbo-hybrid era in 2014.

That leads on nicely to the next section...

Greatest achievement

F1 has witnessed many periods of dominance since the World Championship began back in 1950, but Mercedes’ incredible run of eight consecutive Teams’ Championships from 2014 to 2021 sits at the very top of the all-time list.

In that same period, all bar one Drivers’ Championship went their way, too, with Hamilton racking up six of his seven world titles and Nico Rosberg triumphing in 2016 – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen breaking the sequence via his 2021 crown.

One key goal for 2026

It is, of course, easier said than done, but there’s no denying Mercedes’ target for 2026: move on from their up-and-down ground effect stint, nail the new chassis/engine regulations (which, as mentioned, they managed to do in 2014) and challenge for titles once again.

While it remains to be seen if Mercedes’ new design is up to the job, their experienced, proven winner in Russell appears more than ready to take advantage of any opportunity.

“I’m loyal to Mercedes, they’ve shown their loyalty in me, and I believe going into 2026 Mercedes without a doubt is my best chance of winning a World Championship,” Russell commented when his latest contract extension was announced late last year.

“Maybe we’re wrong. Who knows? No one knows what will happen in 2026. But if I could have every single seat available to me, I would still choose Mercedes.”