Andrew Shovlin explains why the Mercedes W17 is a monumental F1 project. Mercedes track engineering director Andrew Shovlin explains the monumental W17 project.

Mercedes track engineering director Andrew Shovlin has shared his insights on the W17, offering a detailed view of the team’s work between shakedown and pre-season testing.

F1 testing: Mercedes ready for Bahrain

After the winter controversies, the focus now shifts to the track. The Formula 1 testing sessions starting tomorrow in Bahrain will begin to reveal concrete information about the hierarchy of the projects that teams have prepared for the 2026 season. Mercedes arrives in Bahrain better prepared than any other team, at least in terms of mileage. During the Montmeló shakedown, no other team completed as many laps, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli together covering an impressive 500 laps. Therefore, the optimism within the Brackley garage is justified.

Although the kilometers already covered do not automatically translate into lap time performance, and even though the development race will be a central theme from the very start, beginning with solid track mileage represents a fundamental foundation. Mercedes is confident that it has achieved this, notwithstanding the well-known controversy surrounding the power unit and compression ratio, which was confirmed by the FIA itself.

Shovlin’s comments on the W17

Andrew Shovlin commented that the project was “absolutely monumental” and explained that the engine team at Brixworth had been working on it for years. He described it as a “very difficult and demanding programme.” He added that this effort was compounded by the complexity of developing fuel in collaboration with Petronas, as well as adapting the chassis to a completely new set of regulations. Andrew Shovlin concluded that the W17 is the biggest project Mercedes has ever undertaken as a team.

Shovlin acknowledged that the team does not yet know exactly where they stand in terms of outright performance, but emphasized that the car can be reliably kept on track, which is critical for learning quickly. He explained that the team had achieved nearly all of its targets so far and that Bahrain would allow a more detailed focus on understanding the car’s set-up. “At Barcelona, the cold conditions prevented us from gathering relevant data for any circuit,” he noted.

Looking ahead to Bahrain, Andrew Shovlin highlighted that the warmer conditions will make it easier to verify the car’s behaviour at ambient temperature, both in terms of chassis performance and the efficiency of the car’s systems. He also noted that the team will place greater emphasis on race weekend preparation and the various situations that arise during a Grand Prix weekend.

Andrew Shovlin’s remarks emphasize the unprecedented scale of the W17 project as Mercedes prepares to lead the charge into the 2026 era. By prioritizing reliability and mileage during the initial stages, the team has secured a data-rich foundation that could prove decisive as they transition from the cold conditions of Barcelona to the representative heat of Sakhir. As the technical debate over engine legality continues to swirl in the background, Mercedes’ ability to hit nearly all their internal targets suggests that the years of preparation at Brixworth and Brackley have positioned them as the clear benchmark for the start of this new chapter in Formula 1.