Following Ferrari‘s surprisingly strong level of competitiveness at the British Grand Prix, all eyes are now turning to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, where Mercedes is preparing to respond with an important technical update.
Although Mercedes remains the favourite on paper heading into the Belgian weekend, the legendary circuit through the Ardennes forest will also serve as a crucial test for one of the team’s most significant aerodynamic development packages of the season.
Mercedes prepares a major low-downforce package
According to information gathered by the editorial team at GP-news.net, Mercedes will introduce a substantial low-downforce aerodynamic package at Spa-Francorchamps. The new specification has not been developed exclusively for the Belgian Grand Prix but is also intended to be used at other power-sensitive circuits later this season, including Monza, Baku and Las Vegas.
The package is designed to reduce aerodynamic drag as much as possible, allowing the W16 to maintain higher straight-line speed on circuits where efficiency is critical to overall performance.
Reducing drag is the key objective
The primary goal of Mercedes’ latest development is to minimise drag—the aerodynamic resistance that slows the car down—particularly during the most demanding phases of a lap.
Reducing drag becomes especially important when the battery has depleted its available electrical energy and the power unit enters the superclipping phase, where the internal combustion engine can no longer rely on full hybrid assistance. In these conditions, maintaining momentum and minimising speed loss on the straights becomes crucial.
By lowering aerodynamic resistance, Mercedes hopes to preserve more speed during these phases, improving both top speed and overall energy management on circuits where long full-throttle sections place the greatest demands on the hybrid system.
With Ferrari having closed the performance gap in recent races, the Belgian Grand Prix will provide the first opportunity to assess whether Mercedes’ latest low-downforce package can strengthen the team’s advantage before it is deployed again at Monza, Baku and Las Vegas later in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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