George Russell gave a nod to Mercedes\u2019 power unit after laying down the laps at Silverstone for a shakedown of the team\u2019s all-new W17.<\/p>\n
Mercedes held a filming day at the Silverstone circuit on Thursday to put the first miles with the new W17 machine ahead of next week\u2019s behind-closed-doors test in Spain.<\/p>\n
George Russell can\u2019t wait to go \u2018full gas\u2019<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Mercedes<\/a> revealed its W17 to the world on Thursday in a series of renders on social media becoming the latest of the F1 teams to shake down its new 2026 car.<\/p>\n The W17 was in action on a cold and wet day at the Silverstone circuit where both Russell and Antonelli laid down the laps.<\/p>\n Kimi and the Boss getting a good look at W17 \ud83d\udc40 pic.twitter.com\/dcFlCQa2OX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The team shared a series of short videos on social media as the W17 roared out of the garage before covering a total of 67 laps between the two teammates as Mercedes was limited to 200 kilometres of running in its first of two allowed filming days with its 2026 car.<\/p>\n Mercedes\u2019 head of trackside engineering, Andrew Shovlin, called it a \u201csensible first day of running\u201d with the focus on \u201censuring everything operates safely and reliably.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe were able to get through our allotted mileage, with both George and Kimi getting to experience the 2026 car on track for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n In a separate clip Russell, tipped by many pundits to be amongst the favourites for this year\u2019s title amidst reports Mercedes may have gained a march on its rivals, gave a nod to the Mercedes power unit.<\/p>\n F1 2026: Formula 1\u2019s season of change<\/p>\n F1 2026 uncovered: Next-gen cars, new tyres, and design decisions<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2025 v F1 2026: Nine key questions ahead of huge regulation changes<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s mega to see the new car, new engine on track,\u201d he said on Mercedes\u2019 social media feed. \u201cIt sounds amazing. It really sounds different to what I was expecting.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really special day, getting to drive it for the first time, because this engine and power unit has been years in the works.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car has been over the last year, I\u2019ve been working so hard, bringing it to life, and being at the factory the last few days, seeing everybody actually building it, the last final touches coming together, and then finally getting the chance to drive today is always a really nice time of year.<\/p>\n \u201cSo yeah, great to be out. Great to see it on the track, and can\u2019t wait to drive it full gas.\u201d<\/p>\n For his teammate Antonelli, it was his second first day in a new Formula 1 car and the Italian relished the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst day in the new car, super big day for the team, for everyone involved in the project,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I have to say it was a good day. I\u2019m super happy.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, you know, a massive thanks to all the people back in Brackley and Brixworth because they\u2019ve done an incredible job on putting the car together and allowing us to do some laps today.<\/p>\n \u201cSo yeah, this just the beginning and really looking forward to the next few tests that we\u2019ll have. And then, of course, to the start of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n According to reports, Mercedes and Red Bull Ford may have a loophole in the wording of the engine regulations relating to compression ratios.<\/p>\n That is set at 16:1 but is measured at ambient temperatures. The compression ratio is not measured again during competition.<\/p>\n They have reportedly found a way to increase the ratio when the engine is running in competition, and a higher compression means more power and improved fuel efficiency. It\u2019s being said that could be an increase of four-tenths per lap.<\/p>\n The W17 will be on the track again next week for the behind-closed-doors Barcelona outing where the teams will be restricted to a maximum of three days of running during the five-day test across January 26-30.<\/p>\n A further two pre-season tests will be held in Bahrain on February 11-13 and 18-20 before the F1 2026 season begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n Read next: Brundle explains why Ferrari had to replace Lewis Hamilton\u2019s race engineer<\/a><\/p>\n