Mercedes will run its latest W17 upgrade package on both cars at the 2026 United States Grand Prix, with Toto Wolff confirming that Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will use the updated specification at the Circuit of The Americas. The decision follows two difficult race weekends in Malaysia and Singapore, during which the team struggled to extract the expected performance from its recent technical developments.
With Kimi Antonelli potentially able to secure the Drivers’ World Championship in Austin, Mercedes faces an important weekend on two fronts. The German manufacturer wants to return to stronger form after its recent setbacks, while Toto Wolff has warned that improving rivals mean the team cannot afford to stop developing its car during the closing stages of the season.
Mercedes confirms latest W17 upgrades for both drivers at Austin
Mercedes introduced a substantial upgrade package for the W17 at the Malaysian Grand Prix, hoping to strengthen the car’s competitiveness as the championship entered its final stages. However, the new components did not immediately deliver the performance gains the team had anticipated.
As a result, Mercedes adopted an unusual approach at the following round in Singapore, running different versions of the W17 to compare the effectiveness of the changes directly.
Kimi Antonelli continued with the upgraded specification introduced in Malaysia, while George Russell returned to the earlier version of the car with which he had won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
The split-specification experiment allowed Mercedes to gather information about the behaviour of both configurations and better understand why its latest developments had not produced the expected improvement.
That comparison will now come to an end at the United States Grand Prix, with Toto Wolff confirming that both drivers will return to the latest aerodynamic specification.
Toto Wolff warns Mercedes that rivals are closing the gap
Looking ahead to the Austin weekend, Toto Wolff acknowledged that the recent races had been challenging for Mercedes and explained that the team had worked extensively to identify what had gone wrong.
“The weekends in Malaysia and Singapore were difficult for us, and we have worked hard to understand where we went wrong,” Toto Wolff said.
“Austin gives us the opportunity to respond. We will use our latest upgrade package on both cars. Our rivals are improving, and we cannot afford to stand still if we want to remain competitive in this final part of the season.”
The decision to use the updated package on both cars represents an important step after the uncertainty surrounding the W17’s development. Mercedes now has the opportunity to assess the revised specification with both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell during the same race weekend.
It also comes at a time when Red Bull, Ferrari and other competitors have demonstrated improved performance, increasing the pressure on Mercedes to maintain its advantage.
Ferrari is preparing its own developments for the Circuit of The Americas, where Charles Leclerc’s concerns about losing ground to rivals have increased the importance of the team’s Austin upgrade package.
Kimi Antonelli could secure the 2026 F1 title at United States GP
The United States Grand Prix could also prove decisive for the Drivers’ World Championship, with Kimi Antonelli arriving in Texas in a position to secure his first Formula 1 title.
However, Toto Wolff has made clear that Mercedes does not intend to become distracted by the possibility of celebrating a championship during the Austin weekend.
The team’s immediate priority remains extracting the maximum performance from its cars and ensuring it can compete effectively against rivals that have made significant progress in recent races.
For George Russell, returning to the updated W17 will also provide another opportunity to evaluate the latest developments after racing with the older specification in Singapore.
Mercedes focuses on each race during demanding F1 triple-header
The United States Grand Prix marks the beginning of another demanding sequence of three consecutive Formula 1 race weekends. After Austin, the championship will continue with the Mexican and São Paulo Grands Prix.
Toto Wolff believes the intensity of this period makes it especially important for Mercedes to maintain its concentration rather than looking too far ahead.
“The United States Grand Prix marks the beginning of another demanding triple-header,” Toto Wolff added.
“The stakes are high, but we do not want to look too far ahead and become distracted by the possibility of celebrating world championships. The objective is to remain completely focused on each race, one at a time.”
Mercedes therefore arrives at the Circuit of The Americas determined to respond to its recent difficulties with both drivers using the latest version of the W17.
While the possibility of Kimi Antonelli securing the championship provides an additional storyline, the team’s immediate technical objective is to confirm that its updated package can deliver the performance required to withstand the growing challenge from its rivals.
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