Mercedes visibly solved one of its biggest problems of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix, a development that immediately caught the attention of Martin Brundle, impressed by the change in dynamic.
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Since the beginning of the 2026 F1 season, Mercedes suffered from a recurring weakness: its starts. Over the first four rounds, including the sprint in China, the team’s two drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, had lost more than 20 cumulative positions from the moment the lights went out.
Despite very favorable starting positions — several front rows and even a pole for Antonelli in Miami — the Silver Arrows had almost never managed to lead into the first corner.
An alarming observation for Toto Wolff, who had called the situation “unacceptable”, while Simone Resta spoke of it as an absolute priority to correct.
But in Montreal, the trend reversed. George Russell took off perfectly from sprint pole, taking the lead from the first corner on Saturday. In the main race, the changing conditions played a major role, but without questioning the progress on the starts.
Brundle impressed by the transformation
Martin Brundle quickly highlighted this turning point in his column, believing that Mercedes had changed a fundamental element of its weekend.
“The biggest spoiler of the weekend, for us and not for them, is that Mercedes seems to have completely sorted out its starts. In fact, George Russell from sprint pole was the best at the start,” he explained.
A strong observation, given how much this weakness had weighed heavily at the beginning of the season.
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This improvement came in parallel with a significant development package, including a new approach to the front wing, floor evolutions, and overall aerodynamic modifications.
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Result: Mercedes returned to the top of the hierarchy in Montreal, with a slight but real advantage over its rivals.
Kimi Antonelli won by more than ten seconds in the main race, confirming the regained competitiveness of the W17, despite Russell’s retirement due to a battery problem.
Brundle, however, tempered the euphoria by highlighting the extreme proximity between the teams.
“The Mercedes update clearly put the team back at the front of the pack with a slight, but undeniable, advantage. And even if the top five were in the same order between sprint and Grand Prix, only a third of a second separated the top seven,” he specified.
A championship tighter than expected
The Briton said he was surprised by how quickly the established order had tightened between Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.
“I didn’t expect to see Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull so close so quickly,” he admitted.
One thing is now clear: if Mercedes has corrected a major flaw, the battle for the title only becomes more unpredictable, with several teams now capable of fighting for victory every weekend.
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