McLaren and Mercedes bring crucial upgrades to Austrian Grand Prix
McLaren and Mercedes have confirmed they will introduce significant car upgrades for this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix in a bid to boost their respective 2026 championship campaigns.
The reigning constructors’ champions are yet to secure a race victory this season, managing just four podium finishes across the opening six rounds.
Despite this slow start, technical director Neil Houldey expects the high-speed characteristics of the Red Bull Ring to suit their machinery.
“Austria has historically been a strong track for us, and while we take nothing for granted in such a tight field, we are optimistic that the car and driver characteristics will again suit the circuit,” said Houldey.
Chasing a rear wing advantage
The Woking-based outfit will run an experimental rear wing during Friday’s practice sessions in Spielberg.
This new component is expected to mimic the innovative rotating design first unveiled by Ferrari during pre-season testing.
The Italian team’s aerodynamic concept flips when the car is running in a straight line to significantly reduce drag and increase top speed.
Red Bull have already successfully debuted their own iteration of the device during the Miami Grand Prix earlier this year.
“For this event, we’ve focused on minor detail updates around the car’s rear corners, as well as an experimental rear wing that will run throughout Friday’s sessions,” Houldey added.
Mercedes target reliability fixes
Alongside the papaya cars, their German rivals will also arrive in Styria with highly anticipated updated parts.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed their engineering focus is squarely on addressing recent mechanical frailties.
The Silver Arrows suffered a costly technical failure at the Canadian Grand Prix in May when George Russell was forced to retire from the race lead.
With an intense development race underway under the all-new 2026 regulations, both teams are increasingly desperate to close the performance gap at the front of the grid.
