Mercedes AMG Is Keen To Maximize Formula 1 Regulation Changes
A full re-write of the Formula 1 rulebook gives Mercedes AMG the best chance yet to get back to the front of the field.
There is no sport where the bending of rules is celebrated quite like Formula 1. Brabham had the fan car, Lotus and their ground effects car, and even William’s active suspension. All of these were devised based on ingenuity and what the rule book doesn’t say.
It’s interesting to think about. Do you start with the strengths of the old car? Or start fresh. That’s above our pay grade, but it is why Mercedes has folks like Rachel Nash and James Allison. Nash is in charge of regulation analysis, finding every bit of rule that is possible to exploit. Allison is the overall technical director, making sure any exploited rule can mesh well with the other parts of the car.
With the 2025 regulations, success favored teams who had a good mix of efficient aero and excellent tire management. With less aero to play with and smaller tires, we feel this balance will shift more to tire management for the 2026 regulations.
Nash will play the part in ensuring Russel and Antonelli have the guts they need when the right pedal is in use. Allison wants to make sure they can do so lap after lap, with some in reserve if they need it. This is especially true as more passing opportunities will likely be the result of new aero. Gone is the DRS era and now there’s Cornering Mode and Straight Line Mode functions of the new car. Think of it like DRS, but on any straight, and also effective on the front wing, too. Combined with the “overtake” button, this means proper utilization of push laps will be critical in each race.
Unlike IndyCar, each Formula 1 team is still given the freedom to develop and utilize every component of each car. So there’s freedom to make your own suspension A-arm if you think it’s the next bright idea. But, every component in a modern Formula 1 car is optimized to work with all of the other parts. One shift suddenly turns into a number of changes down the line. And given what we saw in 2025, that includes even the slimmest of margins. So what does Mercedes do? They start outside of the rules, and work their way in. Just barely.
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