Mercedes technical director James Allison says the team's decision to keep developing its 2026 car late has put it out of phase with rivals, creating a leapfrog effect as in‑season updates produce large performance gains. The W17 has been dominant, opening the year with a 1‑2 finish in Australia and winning eight of the first eleven races.

Allison noted the wind‑tunnel yields six to seven times more lap time per week than last season, about half a second every two months, showing the steep gain rate under the new rules. He explained that Mercedes moved the design freeze back, compressing manufacturing time and embedding early‑season updates into the launch car, with less than no contingency if problems arose.

Because the strategy left the team with no pipeline for further updates, Mercedes now trails a race or two behind Ferrari and McLaren, who introduced their own packages sooner. This makes the squad vulnerable while it awaits its own development wave to restore the initial advantage.

The ebb‑and‑flow in performance is evident: Ferrari gained pace in Barcelona with a major update, while McLaren's new floor in Hungary helped it claim its first win of the season. Allison said the team must ride out these scary periods and deliver the next performance lump to re‑establish its early‑season form.