After Miami, Mercedes is preparing its counter-attack in Canada

After four dominant Grand Prix wins under new regulations that seem perfectly suited to the Silver Arrows, Mercedes Benz has seen the strong return of McLaren, Classic Ferrari for sale et Red Bull on Florida soil. A five-week break between Suzuka and Miami allowed Mercedes' rivals to work on developing and improving their cars. McLaren seemed best equipped to challenge Mercedes during the final race weekend. A pole position for the reigning world champion, Lando Norris, in Sprint qualifying, came to surprise the men of Toto wolff in Miami. A better time, resulting in a victory in the Sprint race by Lando Norris.

Thanks to their work on the new 2026 regulations, Mercedes had the luxury of consistently crossing the finish line with a considerable lead over their rivals since the start of the season: 15 seconds in Australia, 25 in China, and 13 in Japan.

But despite Andrea Kimi Antonelli's victory in Sunday's race in Miami, the youngest leader in the history of a championship in Formula 1Even at the finish, he could still glimpse the orange silhouette of the Briton's McLaren in his rearview mirrors. Only three and two tenths of a second separated Antonelli from the car Norris crossed the finish line first. Meanwhile, George Russell achieved his worst result of the season, finishing a disappointing 4th, behind the McLarens.

Mercedes is preparing its first real evolution

The Silver Arrows are preparing a counter-offensive this weekend at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. This strategy is being embraced by the Mercedes camp, which remains the only team at the front of the grid not to have introduced any major upgrades since the start of the season. Our competitors have made progress in Miami and we need to respond. "Toto Wolff observes before discussing the Canadian weekend. We are bringing our first evolution of the year to Montreal, but we know that performance is only real when it is realized on the track. »

A complete aerodynamic overhaul, from the front wing to the floor, is expected to be the main improvement brought by the Mercedes team for the fifth race of the season. Rumors suggest a significant performance gain of up to three-tenths of a second per lap.

It's no surprise to anyone that Ferrari's start is one of the Prancing Horse's greatest strengths this season. To try and compete with the Maranello cars in this area, a revamp of their starting system will also be one of the areas of improvement to watch for this weekend in Canada for the Silver Arrows.

Mercedes could therefore rediscover its early-season dominance on a circuit the three-pointed star brand is particularly fond of. Indeed, Mercedes has won five of the last ten editions (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2025), finishing on the podium nine times. In 2025, George Russell triumphed at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, and Kimi Antonelli, as a rookie, secured his first ever Formula 1 podium finish.

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