Mercedes confirms new 2027 F1 car is already in development

There are still eight Grands Prix to be contested in 2026 (assuming the Middle Eastern rounds do not go ahead, ed.), but it already seems certain that Mercedes will clinch both the drivers' and constructors' titles.

While the Germans, especially Kimi Antonelli, continue to deliver top performances every week, the main challenger behind them often changes from race to race. As a result, both Antonelli's and the team's lead continue to grow with each race.

Nevertheless, CEO and team principal Toto Wolff still isn’t entirely at ease. “It's a mechanical sport. You can you can DNF. You can crash out,” the Austrian told GPblog among others.

That’s why Wolff doesn’t want to look at the standings until both titles are secured. “Until then, we just concentrate on each and every week and try to bring our best game,” the team principal added, echoing the cliché.

Mercedes plans to introduce improvements to its power unit soon, while chassis updates are also expected. Despite leading both championships, the team is not stopping development altogether.

That said, plenty of thought is already going into 2027. Wolff confirmed that Mercedes has now started developing the team's next F1 car, which is expected to be named the W18 in line with the team's naming pattern.

“It has started a while ago already, long before the summer,” the Austrian team boss concluded.