Mercedes unveil 2026 car as Silver Arrows head into season as title favourites

By Ben Langley

Mercedes have revealed their 2026 challenger in what they hope will end their four-year stretch with no title. The Silver Arrows have been hyped up immensely over the winter break, with many tipping the German outfit to be the team to beat this season.

With a new set of regulations coming into effect in 2026 that affects the power unit and aerodynamics, Mercedes have emerged as early title favourites due to their power unit rumoured to be the best compared to their contenders. Mercedes supply their engines to three other teams too for this season, reigning champions McLaren, Williams and Alpine.
Mercedes’ car launch conveyed a similar design to their 2025 car but with a few tweaks to the livery. The most noticeable difference was the adoption of the Microsoft logo on the airbox, a new lucrative sponsor for the team. The airbox carrying the tech giant’s logo is painted in black rather than the silver of last year.

Another noticeable change is the striped effect on the chassis which gives the car a fresh look heading into the new season.
The eight-time world champions head into the new season retaining their driver line-up from 2025. George Russell begins his fifth season with the team, while Kimi Antonelli heads into his second season. The team finished 2nd in last year’s Constructors Championship. While this placing was progress, they still finished a mammoth 364 points behind champions McLaren.

Mercedes will hold their official season launch on February 2 before heading to the first pre-season test in Bahrain the following week.